Question

Which is correct about white tigers?
A)White tiger is a recessive mutant.
B)White tiger is a part of subspecies of Indian tiger
C)White tiger is a type of albino
D)White tiger is a transgenic animal

Answer 1

Hint: The white tiger is also known as bleached tiger. It is a variant of the Bengal tiger. The white tiger is not natural but is born with defects. In India it is found in Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Odisha, and West Bengal.

Complete answer:
To solve this question, we must know about the genetics of white tigers.
 A white tiger is pale in colour due to the lack of the pigment pheomelanin pigment which is responsible for the orange colour. This is due to the mutation in the gene which is responsible for the production of tyrosinase enzymes. The recessive gene is responsible for the colour of the white tiger. So the white tigers are recessive mutants. (Option A is correct)

The white tigers are the mutant of either Bengal tigers or the Siberian tiger. So it is not a subspecies of Indian Tiger. (Option B incorrect)

The white tigers are not albino as they are the Bengal tiger with recessive gene mutation. (Option C is incorrect)

The transgenic animals are the animals whose genes have been engineered. In white tigers, the loss of colouration of the coat is due to mutation. So option D is incorrect.

Hence, the correct answer is option (A)

Note: The tigers born with this mutation are very rare . Approximately one tiger is born in 10,000 Bengal tigers in the wild. The white tigers do not survive long. That is why they do not pass their genes so easily. This tiger is only seen in captivity.