Claude the Albino Alligator

What you need to know

Remembering Claude

Claude, the California Academy of Sciences’ albino American alligator, died on December 2, 2025 of liver cancer. He was about 30 years old. He arrived at the Academy in 2008 and spent 17 years in the Swamp exhibit, where he was the museum’s most recognizable resident. Fewer than 100 albino alligators are known to exist. Their lack of camouflage makes them easy prey in the wild and their skin burns in direct sunlight, so Claude’s enclosure was carefully temperature- and light-controlled.

The Academy held a public memorial on January 18, 2026, and the street in front of the museum is being renamed Claude the Alligator Way. The Swamp exhibit remains, with fish, turtles, and other swamp species.

The Academy itself is still worth a full day. The aquarium, rainforest dome, and planetarium are all in the same building and covered by one admission ticket.

Visiting

Address: California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Dr, Golden Gate Park

Neighborhood: Inner Richmond / Golden Gate Park

Cost: Academy admission: adults $42.50, kids $32.50. Free on select community days.

Hours: Monday-Saturday 9:30am-5pm, Sunday 11am-5pm. Hours vary seasonally.

Best time to go: Weekday mornings for the smallest crowds.

What to know: Buy tickets online in advance. The Academy often sells out on weekends.

Getting There

Transit: Muni N-Judah to 9th Ave & Irving, then a 10-minute walk north into the park. Bus 44-O’Shaughnessy stops nearby.

Parking: Music Concourse Garage underneath the park ($6-7/hour). Street parking along Fulton or Lincoln is free but competitive on weekends.

Walking: The Academy sits on the Music Concourse, directly across from the de Young Museum. Easy to combine both in a single visit.