Survival disadvantages
Many animals with albinism lack their protective camouflage and are therefore less able to conceal themselves from their predators or prey: The survival rate of animals with albinism in the wild can be low, however, it has been stated that in studies where animals had many places to hide, predators captured albino and normally coloured animals at the same rate. Furthermore, albino animals may be excluded from families or other groups, or rejected as mates.The novelty of albino animals has occasionally led to their protection by groups such as the Albino Squirrel Preservation Society. They have also been protected in studies on their ecology, sociology and behaviour. Reduced viability
Studies on medaka fish in the laboratory, i.e. with no predators, sufficient food supply, controlled temperatures, etc., found that albinos had considerably reduced viability; from 800 albino embryos, only 29 survived to full adulthood. Early studies on fish led some researchers to describe albinism as a "semi-lethal mutation". Hearing disorders
Pigmentation disorders such as albinism are occasionally associated with hearing impairments in mice, rats, guinea pigs and cats. In mammals
Artificially selected
Intentionally bred albinistic strains of some animal species are commonly used as model organisms in biomedical research and also as pets. Examples include the BALB/c mouse and Wistar and Sprague Dawley rat strains, laboratory rabbits and ferrets. Albino axolotl (an amphibian) are also used widely in the laboratory as their transparent skin allows observation of the underlying tissues during limb regeneration.
The albino fish have lower survival rates than normal fish but dress-out percentages are nearly equal.Some wild cave fish have populations that are albinistic. The Mexican cave tetra is a species that has evolved specialized characteristics in a series of independent caves. One of these is albinism linked to the Oca2 gene, a known pigmentation gene, This trait has evolved independently in at least two caves. In Chondrichthyes
In the class Chondrichthyes, several species of naturally occurring albino rays and sharks have been recorded. Furthermore, an albino individual spotted ratfish (Hydrolagus colliei) from the order Chimaeriformes has been reported.Albinistic individuals of the following shark species have been reported:
Basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) – 2 cases
Broadnose sevengill shark (Notorynchus cepedianus)
Great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias)
Grey smooth-hound (Mustelus californicus) – 2 cases
Japanese topeshark (Hemitriakis japanica)
Japanese wobbegong (Orectolobus japonicus)
Java shark (Carcharhinus amboinensis)
Leopard shark (Triakis semifasciata)
Narrownose smooth-hound (Mustelus schmitti)
Pigeye shark (Carcharhinus amboinensis)
Porbeagle (Lamna nasus)
Scalloped hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini)
Spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias)
Tawny nurse shark (Nebrius ferigineus)
Tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) – embryo
Whale shark (Rhincodon typus)
Whitespotted bamboo shark (Chiloscyllium plagiosum)
Zebra shark (Stegostoma fasciatum)A study published in 2006 reported albinistic individuals of the following ray species:
Bat ray (Myliobatis californica)
Common skate (Raja batis)
Common stingray (Dasyatis pastinaca)
Common torpedo (Torpedo torpedo)
Cownose ray (Rhinoptera bonasus)
Giant electric ray (Narcine entemedor)
Giant oceanic manta ray (Manta birostris)
Ocellate spot skate (Okamejei kenojei)
Southern stingray (Dasyatis americana)
Thornback ray (Raja clavata)
Cuckoo ray (Raja naevus)

In Hyperoartia
There are several reports of albino lampreys and it has been estimated that this occurs at a frequency of one in 100,000 normal individuals.