Question

You are breeding alligators to be reintroduced in the wild. One of the female alligators is albino. Would it be possible to get normal colored alligators from this female? Identify the genotypes of each individual and show your work in

the Punnett squares below.

Answer 1

It is possible for normal coloured alligators to be produced. If the albino trait is recessive and normal is dominant, the male would need 1-2 dominant alleles to produce a normal coloured alligator. It is also possible for a normal coloured alligator to be produced if albino is dominant and normal is recessive. In this circumstance, the female must be h e t e r ozygous, but the male can be either h o m ozygous or h e t e r o zygous to produce normal coloured offspring.

First punnet square genotypes:

Female - albino

Male - albino/normal (can be either one)

Second punnet square genotypes:

Female - Normal

Male - albino/normal (can be either one)