The news about African lions is usually dire these days, as the species dwindles across its range. But Thiessen K. Musaah from Nakuru, Kenya, gave us a welcome break with his question about coat color.

Why, he asked, are lions in South Africa’s Kruger National Park “fawn to golden white” while their kin in the Kenya and Tanzania are “fawn to golden brown?"

A known genetic mutation can create what's known as a "white lion," which is technically lighter brown, not truly white, says Leslie Lyons, a feline geneticist at the University of Missouri.

Though some might think these lions are albino, they're not—true albinos are unable to produce any kind of pigment, hence their white coloration