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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
RELATED:
#2
Shiny Blue Curl Mouse!
#3
This Raven’s Striking Pale Plumage Is The Result Of The Genetic Mutations Leucism Or Albinism
#4
A Cat With 2 Pairs Of Ears
#6
The Clompers Demand Respect
#7
Rare Orange Snowy Owl
Roman Arendt 11 hours ago
Looks like a japanese artist of the 19th century had no canvas or paper but got his hands on a snow owl. Gorgeous!
#8
This Entirely Black Penguin, A Very Rare Occurance
#9
Rare Royal Purple Princess Crabs Were Spotted In Kaeng Krachan National Park, Thailand
#10
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!
#11
This Gorgeous Fella Foraging In Our Back Forest
#12
Do You See Fortune Cookies, Raviolis, Or Something Else? These Are Actually Albino Razorback Musk Turtle Babies
#13
These Zebras Have Pseudomelanism (AKA Abundism), A Mutation That Causes An Abundance Of Melanin
#15
This Is A Cinnamon Raccoon. This Coloration Is Typically Due To A Genetic Condition Called Leucism, Which Reduces Pigmentation
#16
Two Headed Python, Only One Every 100,000 Is Born With Two Heads
martymcmatrix 8 hours ago
Well, despite our close bond, I really don't appreciate when you're speaking with a forked tongue...🐍 🤭 🐍
#17
A Tortoiseshell Cat With An Extraordinary Orange Pattern On Its Paws
martymcmatrix 8 hours ago
When grandma gifts you a hand-knitted sweater and your mother insists that you put it on at the next family gathering...🧶 🪡 🧦 🧣
#18
Liquorice Has A Question
#19
Lemon Dalmatian
LakotaWolf (she/her) 11 hours ago
Leucistic Dalmatian! It's not a breed standard color in the AKC so it would be show-disqualified, but how gorgeous! <3
#20
Extremely Rare Spotless Giraffe Born In US Zoo
#21
Yellow Coloured Penguin
#22
Cat's Seperated Pupils. She Can See Perfectly Fine
#23
1 In Every 100,000 Seals Are Born Albino Which Makes Them Super Rare
#24
Waffles Was Born Without Eyes Due To A Genetic Mutation And Is A Very Good Boy
#25
Albino Fur Seal Is Rare Event. This Is A Clear Albino Without Any Pigmentation Even In Its Eyes
#26
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
#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
This Zebra Has Unusual Pattern That Makes It Almost Look Like Partially Transparent Against The Plains
Multa Nocte (she/her/86 47) 9 hours ago
I've never seen a photo of one like that before. I wonder how rare they are.
#29
Leptopoma Perlucidum, Commonly Known As A Terrestrial Land Snail , But People Think He's A Cutie Patootie Blushing
#31
Cat Has A Rare Genetic Disorder That Makes Her Teeth Red And Glow Pink Under Black Light
#32
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!
#33
My Yard Has A Mole Problem, But I Never Thought I'd Find An Albino! Chance Of 1:100,000
Chocolate llama 11 hours 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
#34
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) 6 hours 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
#35
Yellow-Throated Toucan With A Genetic Condition Called Leucism. Spotted In Costa Rica
Erm Actually… 14 minutes ago
Absolutely stunning. Almost makes me hungry with how much he looks like fruit!
#36
An Albino Katydid With A Rare Genetic Disease Just Chilling On A Hibiscus
WindySwede 12 hours 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.
#38
Blue Mutated Phelsuma Laticauda
LakotaWolf (she/her) 11 hours 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
#39
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
#40
Would You Say He Has Brown Or Blue Eyes? (Both Of His Eyes Have The Mutation)
martymcmatrix 8 hours ago
You'll better reach out for the office where you initally applied for his passport...🐰 🆔
#41
Macromutation That Causes The Frog To Grow Eyes Inside The Mouth
#42
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 12 hours 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
#44
Shiny Kangaroo Taking A Bath
#45
Anyone Else Have A Five Toe Chicken? I’ve Personally Never Seen One, Or Even Knew These Existed
#46
Caught The Lucky Trout This Morning
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