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“1 In 2,000,000”: 46 Animals With Rare Genetic Mutations That Don’t Even Look Real (New Pics)
Genes are short sections of DNA that determine an animal’s traits—everything from coat color and claw strength to body shape and health. But sometimes, these genes mutate. And while the word itself sounds alarming, most mutations are harmless and invisible.
The more noticeable ones, however, can produce features that are quite rare for the species.
To give you a sense of how these fascinating genetic quirks show up in nature, we’ve put together a gallery of animals — from cats and mice to crabs, penguins, and beyond — each displaying traits that make them stand out from their peers.
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#1
Olive The Cat With Sectoral Heterochromia
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#2
Rare Orange Snowy Owl
Roman Arendt 8 months ago
Looks like a japanese artist of the 19th century had no canvas or paper but got his hands on a snow owl. Gorgeous!
#3
Shiny Blue Curl Mouse!
#4
This Raven’s Striking Pale Plumage Is The Result Of The Genetic Mutations Leucism Or Albinism
#5
This Entirely Black Penguin, A Very Rare Occurance
#6
A Cat With 2 Pairs Of Ears
#8
The Clompers Demand Respect
#9
Lemon Dalmatian
LakotaWolf (she/her) 8 months ago
Leucistic Dalmatian! It's not a breed standard color in the AKC so it would be show-disqualified, but how gorgeous! <3
#10
This Gorgeous Fella Foraging In Our Back Forest
#11
My Parents Got A Maine Coon Kitten With A Million Toes! His Name Is Chino
I don't even know how to describe it, his front paws have almost another paw on it, like where a human would have a thumb he has this 3 toed paw. His feet are little paddles with 8-9 toe beans. I've never seen a cat with so many fingers. My boyfriend and I have a poly cat with one extra little thumb on his front paws but Chino is the most toed cat I've ever met!
#13
Rare Royal Purple Princess Crabs Were Spotted In Kaeng Krachan National Park, Thailand
#14
This Is A Cinnamon Raccoon. This Coloration Is Typically Due To A Genetic Condition Called Leucism, Which Reduces Pigmentation
#15
This Zebra Has Unusual Pattern That Makes It Almost Look Like Partially Transparent Against The Plains
Multa Nocte (she/her/86 47) 8 months ago
I've never seen a photo of one like that before. I wonder how rare they are.
#16
Yellow Coloured Penguin
#17
Do You See Fortune Cookies, Raviolis, Or Something Else? These Are Actually Albino Razorback Musk Turtle Babies
#18
Sleepy Qizai. He Is A Very Rare Brown Panda And The Only One Living In Captivity
He was found abandoned in the wild and now lives in the Louguantai wild animal breeding and protection center. There are only 9 known brown pandas!
#19
Extremely Rare Spotless Giraffe Born In US Zoo
#20
Albino Fur Seal Is Rare Event. This Is A Clear Albino Without Any Pigmentation Even In Its Eyes
#21
These Zebras Have Pseudomelanism (AKA Abundism), A Mutation That Causes An Abundance Of Melanin
#22
White Kiwi Chick
#23
Waffles Was Born Without Eyes Due To A Genetic Mutation And Is A Very Good Boy
#24
Two Headed Python, Only One Every 100,000 Is Born With Two Heads
martymcmatrix 8 months ago
Well, despite our close bond, I really don't appreciate when you're speaking with a forked tongue...🐍 🤭 🐍
#25
1 In Every 100,000 Seals Are Born Albino Which Makes Them Super Rare
#26
A Labrador Born Green Because Of A Pigment Called Biliverdin
His name is Pistacchio and he's doing fine! He was born in Pattada, a little village in Sardinia. The green color, which will progressively fade away, is a consequence of biliverdin, a pigment that he ingested while in the womb.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 8 months ago
Can you imagine when he's all grown up and normal Labrador-cream-colored and someone asks "Oh, what a cutie, what's the origin of his name?" and you go "Well, he was bright green when he was born, so..." XD
#27
I Was Very Fortunate To Spot This White Eastern Gray Squirrel In Highlands North Carolina
The white squirrel is actually a genetic anomaly due to a mutated gene from the common Eastern gray squirrel. It is called leucism, which is a condition characterized by reduced pigmentation in animals caused by a recessive allele. Unlike albinism, it is a reduction of all types of skin pigment, not just melanin.
#28
Rare Orange Shark, Costa Rica. Its Unusual Colour Is Caused By Something Called Xanthism, A Condition Which Researchers Say Is Extremely Rare In Fishes Like Sharks
#29
Cat's Seperated Pupils. She Can See Perfectly Fine
#30
A Tortoiseshell Cat With An Extraordinary Orange Pattern On Its Paws
martymcmatrix 8 months ago
When grandma gifts you a hand-knitted sweater and your mother insists that you put it on at the next family gathering...🧶 🪡 🧦 🧣
#31
Liquorice Has A Question
#32
Yellow-Throated Toucan With A Genetic Condition Called Leucism. Spotted In Costa Rica
Erm Actually… 8 months ago
Absolutely stunning. Almost makes me hungry with how much he looks like fruit!
#33
Leptopoma Perlucidum, Commonly Known As A Terrestrial Land Snail , But People Think He's A Cutie Patootie Blushing
#34
Adelie Penguin With Isabellinism, A Genetic Mutation That Dilutes The Pigment In Feathers
#35
My Yard Has A Mole Problem, But I Never Thought I'd Find An Albino! Chance Of 1:100,000
Chocolate llama 8 months ago
Awwwwwwwwww!! I love moles and I think they have an unfair bad reputation. The mole hills can be a bit annoying but they snack on mosquito larvae and snail eggs, so I'm always happy if I have one in the garden
#36
An Albino Katydid With A Rare Genetic Disease Just Chilling On A Hibiscus
WindySwede 8 months ago
" There are albino animals and erythristic animals. Both caused by recessive genetics, but albino is a lack of pigmentation, where erythrism is production of pink/red pigments." User in reddit.
#37
Cat Has A Rare Genetic Disorder That Makes Her Teeth Red And Glow Pink Under Black Light
#38
This Small Stack Of A Mutant Bumble Bee I Found Early One Morning. I'm Assured This Is A Genetic Mutation And Very Rare To Witness
#39
Blue Mutated Phelsuma Laticauda
LakotaWolf (she/her) 8 months ago
A day gecko! I wanted one of these so badly as a child XD I had a green iguana and a small tribe of green anoles in my childhood, but always wanted a day gecko, a skink, and a snake someday XD
#40
Would You Say He Has Brown Or Blue Eyes? (Both Of His Eyes Have The Mutation)
martymcmatrix 8 months ago
You'll better reach out for the office where you initally applied for his passport...🐰 🆔
#41
My Wild Axolotl Showing The Default Color. There Are About 18 Variants Of Axolotl Color Because Of Mutation Of Their Pigmentation Genes Due To Crossbreeding
sturmwesen 8 months ago (edited)
fun fact: if you have different colors of shrimps in a tank they might crossbreed and next generations become transparent. once in a while a different color will pop up. mine were transparent, red and orange. now most are transparent but 2 are brownish/redish
#42
My Horse’s Two-Toned Mustache
#43
Shiny Kangaroo Taking A Bath
#44
Macromutation That Causes The Frog To Grow Eyes Inside The Mouth
#45
Caught The Lucky Trout This Morning
#46
Anyone Else Have A Five Toe Chicken? I’ve Personally Never Seen One, Or Even Knew These Existed
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