The California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco is celebrating the 15th birthday of its white alligator.
The academy plans to have cake, party hats and songs for Claude's birthday on Wednesday. Academy officials say the animal, which has a mutation that makes it white, is a big draw and can also be used to teach people about the environment and evolution.
Claude came from a farm in Florida and was on hand when the academy reopened at its new site in Golden Gate Park in 2008.
He weighs 181 pounds and measures 8 feet 5 inches long. He could live to be 80 years old.
Claude and another alligator shared a tank for several months before that alligator was sent back to Florida when it bit Claude on his right front foot.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
