Incredibly rare albino raccoon caught dumpster diving in College Station

Officials say your chances of spotting an albino raccoon are about 1 in 750,000.Photo byRudolfo Garcia/KBTX-TV/X

While it's not all that rare to see a ring-tailed dumpster diver here in Texas, a College Station resident caught a once-in-a-lifetime glimpse of a very special raccoon.

A very rare albino raccoon was spotted by College Station resident Rodolfo Garcia this week. KBTX-TV's Rusty Surette shared photos from Garcia on X, saying ,"You have better odds of being struck by lightning than seeing an albino raccoon."

Earlier this year, a pair of the nocturnal critters were spotted in Van Zandt County. The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) officials shared in a social media post at the time that "The odds of a raccoon having albinism (completely white, red eyes, etc.) is 1 in 20,000," and that spotting one in the wild are around 1 in 750,000.

The odds of getting struck by lightning in the U.S., at least once in your life — are about 1 in 15,300, according to the National Weather Service.

TPWD officials explain that survival for creatures born with albinism (the inability to produce color pigment in its skin, hair, feathers, scales, or eyes) is exceptionally difficult — and why the odds of seeing one are so low.

It's easier for predators to spot them, TPWD explains, but most are born with vision problems — when they aren't born totally blind.

Despite being rare due to how dangerous their lives are — and how rare the genetic combination producing them is — albino animals are spotted every now and then.

Just this week, safari park and preserve Wild Florida welcomed a new, baby albino alligator. Canada's Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation also discovered a very rare albino porcupine this year, outside a home in Medicine Hat.

As always, if you have a spicy tip for me, want to check out my less news-y writing, or just want to stop by and say hi — you can find me over on Substack at @aboyandhisdog.

If you're curious about me —you don't have to be. You can find out just about everything you'd want to know about this Texas boy right here, my own politics, and my thoughts on the state of journalism.