In looking at weird donkey breeds, I found something interesting: There is no such thing as an albino horse. There are a million different ways to make a white horse, but not an albino. Read this fascinating page on exactly why albino horses do not exist.
This gets back to my "Shades of White" entry. There are many traits, not just one, that can lead to a white animal. Although it may be easy for the public to call them all "albino," which does after all have the Latin word for "white" in there, it is technically incorrect! (Even within albinism, there are subtleties. Don't call white tigers albino unless you want to do the same for Siamese cats.) As the page says, there are many differences between how different types of whiteness is inherited, too.
Just sharing. The world is pretty darn fascinating, but if you must get into fantasy, don't assume your prince on a white horse managed to procure an albino.
This gets back to my "Shades of White" entry. There are many traits, not just one, that can lead to a white animal. Although it may be easy for the public to call them all "albino," which does after all have the Latin word for "white" in there, it is technically incorrect! (Even within albinism, there are subtleties. Don't call white tigers albino unless you want to do the same for Siamese cats.) As the page says, there are many differences between how different types of whiteness is inherited, too.
Just sharing. The world is pretty darn fascinating, but if you must get into fantasy, don't assume your prince on a white horse managed to procure an albino.
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