A novel white mouse deer observation in Brunei Darussalam

Abstract

Abstract Pure white animals have long been regarded as unusual and prized by hunters. For the first time, we report an incidence of a white lesser mouse deer (Tragulus kanchil), observed by camera trap in Brunei Darussalam. This adult individual was recorded on four separate occasions in the same location. Although the underlying cause of this rare phenotype is undeterminable from camera trap images, the individual does not display the pink eyes commonly characteristic of albinism. It is surprising that this individual has survived to adulthood, as its bright white colouration makes it more vulnerable to predation, as well as a target for hunters. Further study of this individual could reveal insights into how it has survived, and the genetic health of the local population of T. kanchil.