CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- They say that you should fly south for the winter, but a rare albino alligator is traveling north for the summer.
Snowflake, a 16-year-old albino American alligator is making a home at Brookfield Zoo's Swamp habitat this summer.
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"With their ivory-white skin and pinkish eyes, albino alligators would not survive very long in their native habitat of swamps, marshes, rivers, and lakes in the southeastern United States. Predators would easily find the young alligators because they are not able to camouflage amid their surroundings," the zoo said in a statement. "Additionally, alligators bask in the sun to regulate their body temperature. However, an albino’s skin is very sensitive and can quickly burn. The sun also burns their eyes, making it harder for the albino alligators to see food and predators."