A rare white koala joey has been born at a Queensland zoo, and the search is now on for the right name.

Australia Zoo, north of Brisbane on the Sunshine Coast, welcomed its first white koala joey this breeding season.

The female is not albino — its extremely pale colouration is caused by a recessive gene and thought to be inherited from mother Tia, which has had other pale coloured joeys in the past.

Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital director Dr Rosie Booth said it was more unusual to see a koala with fur this light — and with eyes and skin remaining the usual brown black — than it was to see a koala with albinism.

"In veterinary science it's often referred to as the 'silvering gene', where animals are born with white or very pale fur and, just like baby teeth, they eventually shed their baby fur and the regular adult colouration comes through," Dr Rosie said.

Dr Booth said koalas were known to vary in colour depending on their environment, with southern koalas being much darker and larger than those found in Queensland and New South Wales.

"In the wild animal kingdom, it's actually quite unfortunate to have unusually light colouration as it makes animals stand out from their camouflage, risking being spotted by potential predators," she said.

Australia Zoo and Tourism Australia have put the call out on their Facebook page for names.

Thousands have already thrown their suggestions out there, including: