Why is a white rat white?

Asks Jamie Rowe

The white rat is an albino. Albinism is caused by a mistake in the genes that control the colour of skin and fur and feathers. Genes are the codes passed to an animal from its mother and father. For an animal to be an albino, it must have inherited genes with mistakes in them from both its father and its mother, which doesn’t happen very often. Colour is important because it protects the skin from the burning sun and protects the eyes from bright light. It also allows the animal to camouflage itself with its background environment. Being bright white is a big disadvantage because the animal sticks out like a sore thumb, making it easy for predators to find them. Because of all these problems, most albino animals die. Only those that come out at night may be able to survive, like albino rats, hedgehogs and even kiwi!