In February 2012, we were first to publish the documentation of an albino Testudo graeca.
The tortoise developed rapidly and did not show any sign of illness or stress. Four months after it hatched, it was found dead in the cage, while other hatchlings survived with no illness signs.

We excluded sand impaction (in the gastro-intestinal tract) or poisoning as possible cause of death, and believe that food impaction, with or without bloat, have lead to its death.

Although we were the first to describe an albinism in this species, from personal communication with herpetologists in Israel, we believe that albinism is not a rare phenomenon in the species, however, most of the mutations do not survive due to increased predation in nature, and possible linked defects that cause the death of a young tortoise.

In albinism, there is a defect in the Tyrosinase enzyme, which has a major part in the production of melanin.

There are recent documentations of additional white tortoises (Testudo graeca) in Israel, but their lack of pigmentation is not due to albinism, and they have black and not red eyes.