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Penguins are typically black and white, as are pandas. Elephants sport a grey hue, and tigers are known for their bold orange coats with black stripes. These are the classic color schemes we recognize, and for many, they might be the only traits they associate with these creatures.
Yet, there are always exceptions to the rule when it comes to animal colors. Occasionally, an individual will experience a mutation that alters its appearance drastically. These changes can result in a curious anomaly or, in some cases, even lead to the development of an entirely new subspecies.
10. The Brown Panda Bear
The giant panda has only one subspecies, the brown panda, also known as the Qinling panda after its home in the Qinling mountains of China. These pandas have dark brown fur in place of the usual black, and lighter tan fur instead of the typical white. Researchers suggest that this unique coloring may have emerged due to inbreeding among the regular panda population.
Brown pandas have been spotted since 1985, but it wasn't until 2005 that scientists officially classified them as a distinct subspecies. The exact number of Qinling bears is unclear. While there could be hundreds concealed in the mountains, only five specimens have ever been observed by scientists so far.
9. The Black Penguin
There are at least 17 species of penguins roaming the earth, each varying in appearance. The typical penguin has a black back and white belly, but some penguins stand out with colorful feather crests, orange beaks, white flippers, or vibrant yellow eyes.
Then there's the black penguin, entirely black from head to toe. When a National Geographic photographer captured an image of one in 2010, an ornithologist referred to it as a 'one-in-a-zillion kind of mutation.' This penguin suffers from melanism, an overproduction of melanin—the pigment responsible for color in skin. While many birds have a melanin deficiency, cases of melanism in penguins are almost unheard of.
8. Venus the Chimera Cat
One side of Venus, the tortoiseshell cat, is black, while the other side is orange, patterned like a tabby. The black side has a green eye, and the orange side boasts a blue one.
The exact reason behind Venus’s unique appearance remains a mystery, but many speculate that she’s a chimera. Chimeras are created when two embryos fuse together in the womb, and they are relatively common in cats. In fact, most male tortoiseshell cats are chimeras, although it's much rarer among females.
7. Melanistic Zebras
Penguins aren’t the only black-and-white creatures born with melanism. Some zebras also carry this condition. While melanistic zebras are more common than black penguins, they are still quite rare. It’s believed that melanistic zebras may not survive long in the wild.
Unlike their penguin counterparts, a melanistic zebra isn’t completely black. Instead, it has exceptionally wide and distinct black stripes. These stripes make the zebra appear darker than usual, though every zebra is unique in its own right. No two zebras have identical stripes—each one’s stripes are as unique as fingerprints.
6. The Gold-Striped Zebra
Excess melanin results in a zebra with large black stripes, while a lack of melanin leads to stripes that are golden rather than black.
You may have come across manipulated images of Zoe, the Hawaiian zebra, showcasing bright orange stripes. While those photos have been altered, Zoe’s true appearance is still remarkable. She has golden stripes and striking blue eyes due to amelanism, a genetic condition caused by a deficiency in tyrosinase, an enzyme responsible for the oxidation of phenols in plants and animals.
5. Albino Eastern Gray Kangaroo
Eastern grey kangaroos, Macropus giganteus, are among the largest kangaroo species. They can grow up to 210 centimeters (7 feet) tall and weigh as much as 54 kilograms (119 pounds). These kangaroos can leap up to 8 meters (26 feet) in a single jump, clear 1.8 meters (6 feet) vertically, and reach speeds of around 56 kilometers (35 miles) per hour.
Albino kangaroos are a rare sight in the wild, but one was spotted at Namadgi National Park, southwest of Canberra, Australia. Rangers believe this kangaroo to be female and have named her 'Renee.' Unlike her grey-coated relatives, Renee has snow-white fur and pink eyes.
Wildlife experts suggest that albino kangaroos have a low survival rate in the wild due to their vulnerability to predators like wild dogs and foxes. They are also at a higher risk for skin cancer and sunburn, and may struggle with impaired vision and hearing.
4. Half-Toned American Lobster
American lobsters, also known as Maine lobsters, are typically brown but turn orange when boiled. In July 2006, a lobster caught in Maine displayed an unusual color pattern: its right side remained mottled brown, while its left side was a vibrant orange, appearing 'half-boiled and half-cooked.'
The shells of American lobsters contain a mix of yellow, red, and blue pigments. In this rare catch, one side appeared orange due to the absence of the blue pigment, while the other side retained its usual color because each half of a lobster develops independently. Half-toned lobsters are extremely rare, with the likelihood of encountering one being about 1 in 50 million.
3. White Elephant
White elephants do suffer from albinism, but despite their name, they aren’t actually white. They tend to be pink or reddish-brown. This rare mutation is more commonly found in Asian elephants than in their African counterparts.
In countries like Burma (now Myanmar) and Thailand, white elephants were once considered sacred, and they were not used for labor. Spotting one was seen as an omen that the ruler of that land governed with fairness and strength, and that the kingdom was blessed.
The albino elephant gave rise to the English idiom 'white elephant,' referring to things that seem valuable but are of little real worth. The tale goes that the kings of Siam (now Thailand) would gift actual white elephants to subjects they wanted to punish. Since the animals were sacred, recipients could not use them for work or even harm them, leaving them to care for the costly creature until they went bankrupt.
2. Seneca White Deer
Until the Seneca Army Depot closed in 2000, it served as a storage facility for World War II and Gulf War era weapons. In 1941, several white deer became trapped within the depot’s walls when it was first fenced off. With the help of favorable policies and controlled hunting, these deer now make up 25% of the approximately 800 deer in the former depot, creating the world's largest population of mutant animals in a single location.
The Seneca white deer are not a separate species but rather a variation of the brown-coated white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus. These white deer are leucistic, meaning their fur lacks pigment, although their eyes remain brown like any other deer. This is a milder mutation compared to albinism, which would result in pink eyes.
1. Melanistic Tiger
Here’s one final melanistic marvel: a tiger, the largest cat species in the world, which can weigh up to 300 kilograms (660 lb).
Similar to melanistic zebras, a melanistic tiger is not entirely black. However, its exceptionally wide black stripes stand out more than those of any zebra, as tigers are usually golden or yellow.
In 2012, photographers spotted a melanistic tiger at Simlipal National Park in India during a tiger census. It was a Bengal tiger of the same size as non-melanistic tigers of the same age group and exhibited aggressive behavior.
