How to Use leucism in a Sentence

leucism

noun
  • If the eyes are a normal color for that species, the bird has leucism.
    — al, 20 Apr. 2022
  • Sea turtles with leucism have black eyes and a small amount of pigment on their skin.
    — Fox News, 19 Oct. 2020
  • The rare white killer whale has a condition called leucism, Hayes said.
    — Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2020
  • The two fur seals, on the other hand, very likely have a condition called leucism.
    — Jeff Mauritzen, National Geographic, 25 Apr. 2019
  • Life can be tough for white squirrels, and other animals with leucism.
    — Joan Morris, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2017
  • The bird's unique coloration is called leucism, a lack of pigmentation in parts of its plumage.
    — Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 12 Feb. 2020
  • The tope shark, or school shark, has a condition called leucism that results in loss of pigmentation.
    — Chris Ciaccia, Fox News, 5 Oct. 2020
  • The all-white giraffes had leucism, which causes the loss of pigmentation, creating white skin.
    — Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2023
  • Animals with leucism may have darker pigment in their soft tissue, and their eyes retain a normal color.
    — New York Times, 11 Mar. 2020
  • The Point Reyes badger would ordinarily have brown strips, but for its leucism.
    — Dominic Fracassa, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Dec. 2023
  • Hayes said some have speculated leucism is caused by inbreeding, although scientists aren't sure.
    — Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2020
  • Caused by a mutation in the whale’s DNA, leucism is different from albinism, in which a creature is all white with pink eyes.
    — Anchorage Daily News, 14 Aug. 2020
  • Unlike albinism, animals with leucism continue to produce a dark pigment in their soft tissue, meaning the giraffe's eyes are dark.
    — Eoin McSweeney, CNN, 17 Nov. 2020
  • Unlike albinism, animals with leucism continue to produce a dark pigment in their soft tissue, meaning the giraffes' eyes were dark.
    — Francisco Guzman and Brian Ries, CNN, 10 Mar. 2020
  • In humans, leucism typically manifests itself in patches of white hair and lighter skin, Beckmen said.
    — María Luisa Paúl, Washington Post, 28 Nov. 2022
  • The animals’ unique white appearance was due to leucism, a condition that causes partial loss of pigmentation.
    — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Mar. 2020
  • The unusual-looking creature has leucism, a condition that causes a lack of pigmentation.
    — Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Dec. 2023
  • According to the Olive Ridley Project, sea turtles with leucism are rare, largely because odds of survival in the ocean are slim.
    — Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 21 Oct. 2020
  • Though scientists are not sure what causes leucism, Hayes said, some have speculated that inbreeding can cause higher rates of the mutation.
    — Anchorage Daily News, 14 Aug. 2020
  • The giraffes' white color is caused by a genetic condition called leucism that affects their cells' pigmentation, the Program said.
    — Rachel Lewis, Time, 18 Sep. 2017
  • Some other animals are just partially white due to a different condition called leucism, which impacts melanin production in only some areas of the body.
    — Carolyn Hagler, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 June 2023
  • An animal with leucism experiences a partial loss of pigmentation.
    — Samuel Sanders, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Sep. 2024
  • Instead, the coloration comes from a genetic condition called leucism, which is a partial loss of pigmentation that still leaves dark coloring in the animal’s eyes, tail hair and spots.
    — Theresa MacHemer, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Nov. 2020
  • On social media, some commenters speculated the creature might be a young red or gray fox with leucism, a condition that causes a loss of pigmentation, resulting in white fur.
    — Alexa Robles-Gil, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Oct. 2024
  • The animals got their unique coloring from a condition known as leucism, which is a genetic condition that causes the giraffes' skin cells to fail to produce pigmentation.
    — Francisco Guzman and Brian Ries, CNN, 10 Mar. 2020
  • The giraffes are white due to a rare condition called leucism, which causes skin cells to have no pigmentation, according to BBC News.
    — Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 10 Mar. 2020
  • The ghost lobster’s look is likely due to a genetic condition called leucism, which causes a partial loss of pigmentation in an animal, resulting in white, pale and patchy coloration.
    — Alexandra Deabler, Fox News, 30 Aug. 2018
  • Most animals feature a range of color variations, including albinism (an absence of pigment) and leucism (a partial loss of pigmentation).
    — Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 15 May 2018
  • Rare beauty The giraffes likely had a genetic condition called leucism, which inhibits skin cells from producing pigment but allows other organs, like eyes, to be dark-colored.
    — National Geographic, 11 Mar. 2020
  • In 2017, the program explained the rare animals had a condition called leucism, resulting in the partial loss of the giraffes' pigmentation.
    — Joel Shannon, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2020

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'leucism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: