FELIS – Melanistic Cats

Posted on September 27, 2017 by felisuk

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Melanistic Cats

A cats fur colour can vary greatly, even among those born in the same litter. Small wild cats born of the same litter can typically be spotted/stripped or plain but also all black. This black colouring of the fur is due to an increased amount of melanin, a black pigment in the fur. Cats with this trait are typically referred to as melanistic and as far as is known this black fur mutation can happen in all cat species. The pictures below show some examples; can you guess what cats they are?

21106322_1141884882577942_3842522316966777368_n — Geoffroys cat
Photo credit: Big Cat Rescue

21232114_1141884872577943_5165971197384977764_n — A melanistic Pampas Cat
Photo credit: Fred Hood (www.fredhoodphotography.com/)

21149926_1141884875911276_4677956820802712110_n — A melanistic Serval
Photo Credit: Torsten Bohn

21106441_1141884849244612_9070593259636774532_n — Jungle Cat // Photo credit: Christian Hunold

21192307_1141884842577946_3671840345326897017_n — A melanistic Jaguarundi
Photo Credit: Pete Oxford

21106382_1141884912577939_6056216036339088262_n — A melanistic Kodkod or Guigna
Photo credit: Jim Sanderson

Category: UncategorizedTags: black cat, geoffroys cat, guigna, jaguarundi, jungle cat, kodkod, melanistic cats, pampas cat, serval, small wild cats

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