Rare piebald deer spotted on trail cam in Western Pennsylvania

MURRYSVILLE, Pa. (KDKA) — Another rare wildlife sighting was captured on a trail camera in Western Pennsylvania. 

PixCams says one of its cameras caught a piebald deer, which is both brown and white. Piebald deer are reported at rates well under one percent of the population, according to the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

The piebald condition is genetic and causes blotches of non-pigmented skin in a variety of patterns, sometimes making a deer entirely white. The Game Commission says this can cause some people to confuse albino deer with piebald deer, but piebald deer still have brown eyes and black hooves. 

"We captured a stunning piebald deer on our cellular trail camera!" PixCams wrote on Facebook. "Piebald deer are rare and unique, with their beautiful mix of brown and white coloring. This incredible footage showcases the magic of nature that our cameras capture every day."

It's not the first rare glimpse of wildlife PixCams has captured in Western Pennsylvania this year. PixCams said one of its cameras in Murrysville recorded a fisher, which is a weasel-like creature that was once extirpated in Pennsylvania, meaning the species went extinct in the state. Thanks to natural expansion from neighboring states and reintroduction programs, fishers once again call the Keystone State home.

The Game Commission says piebald deer typically have some other abnormalities like short legs, curved spines and turned feet. Those with severe defects can die at birth or shortly after. 

While piebald deer are rare, experts say albino deer, which completely lack pigment, and melanistic deer, which have black coats, are even rarer.