While orange is the norm for tigers, once in a great while, a tiger is born with a snow-white coat and pale stripes. These white tigers are not a separate species or subspecies. They are Bengal tigers or Bengal-Siberian mixes with a rare genetic mutation. A cub must inherit a specific recessive gene from both parents to appear white. This mutation is estimated to occur naturally in only about one in 10,000 tiger births, which explains why white tigers have always been rare in the wild.

The white coloration is caused by a single DNA change that reduces the production of pheomelanin. Pheomelanin is the pigment responsible for red and yellow tones in fur. In typical orange tigers, pheomelanin mixes with black pigment to create the rich orange coat. In white tigers, a mutation in a gene known as SLC45A2 interferes with the pigment transporter, shutting down the orange color while leaving the ability to produce black pigment intact. This results in a white tiger with dark stripes and natural eye color.

White tigers are sometimes confused with albino animals, but the two conditions are different. Albinos cannot produce melanin at all and usually lack pigment in both their fur and eyes. In contrast, white tigers still have visible dark stripes and typically blue or green eyes. Their condition, called leucism, causes partial pigment loss and occurs in many animal species. A white tiger is essentially the opposite of a melanistic animal. For example, a black panther is a melanistic leopard or jaguar with an excess of dark pigment, while a white tiger has much less than normal. Both traits are rare and naturally occurring.

To humans, a tiger’s orange coat might seem easy to spot in green forests. But to the animals tigers hunt, that orange blends in surprisingly well. Most prey species, such as deer and wild boar, have dichromatic vision. This means they see only two types of color wavelengths instead of the three that humans see. With this limited range of color perception, they cannot easily tell orange from green. So while tigers look bright to us, their coat appears more like dull green or brown to their prey, helping them stay hidden in plain sight.