White Iberian lynx captured in an unprecedented image in Andalusia.

The “white ghost” is called Satureja and is a female born in 2021, Javier Salcedo, coordinator of the Iberian lynx protection project, a species that was once “at risk,” told El País.

Satureja had normal coloring when she was born, but the pigmentation changed at some point. The change doesn't seem to have altered her behavior, because she continues to feed normally and have several successful litters.

“It’s neither albinism nor leucism,” Salcedo told El País . Albinism is the lack of pigmentation in both the skin and eyes, which causes various problems when exposed to the sun. Leucism is the partial loss of pigmentation in animals, but unlike albinism, it does not affect the eyes.

The researcher added that they are trying to find out what might have happened. "It may have to do with exposure to something environmental." They already know, however, that the change occurred in the melanin that produces brown and orange pigmentation, and not in another responsible for dark pigmentation "because it maintains the pattern of black spots that is characteristic of the species."

The Andalusian regional government had already documented another female lynx with the same condition as Satureja. She was born with brown and orange tones and later changed color, also to white. However, she eventually returned to her natural color. The two females come from the same location, Salcedo believes, although Satureja appeared in Jael and the other in Córdoba, so it is hypothesized that they may be from the same family.

"This may mean that there is some kind of hypersensitivity," Salcedo concluded, while keeping everything open: nothing can be confirmed, as the investigations are ongoing.

Text edited by Dulce Neto