Surely you already know what albinism is, but did you know that there is a completely opposite condition? melanism is a genetic condition that causes a excess pigmentation, causing the Animals turn completely black. However, you should know that melanism does not negatively affect animals, in fact, they may have more resistance to different diseases.
If you want to know more about melanism, don't miss this article on our site where we explain what is melanism in animalsand we also show you a list of animals with melanism.
What causes melanism?
In order for you to understand what causes excess or defect melanism, we are going to explain what skin pigmentation consists of Pigmentation stands for coloration, and the pigment that gives skin its color is called melanin, which is produced by special skin cells. If these cells do not work correctly, due to any problem or genetic condition, there is an alteration in the color pigment that the skin receives and, therefore, some disorders such as albinism or melanism are created.
Albinism can affect animals as well as humans. This condition causes a lack of pigment in the skin and, in most cases, in the eyes and hair. Albino animals may have more problems with sun exposure and may even have a depressed immune system. In this article we explain the care that an albino dog should have.
Types of melanism
It is a word from the Greek and means black pigments. We have already explained that animals with melanism have black fur, feathers or scales, but why is this condition caused?
- Adaptive Melanism. Melanism can be caused by an adaptation to the environment that is passed from generation to generation. In this way, animals with melanism can camouflage themselves and go unnoticed to hunt or not to be hunted.
- Industrial MelanismThey are animals that have changed their color due to the industrial activities of the human being. Smoke and pollution have forced animals such as butterflies and moths to adapt to the environment by turning black.
List of animals with melanism
There are many animals with melanism, although here we have compiled five of the most famous.
- Mexican King Snake. This snake is native to the American continent and lives in arid and desert places. It can grow up to 1.5 meters long.
- Black guinea pig. Guinea pigs are becoming more popular as pets and can also exhibit melanism, regardless of their breed.
- Black Wolf. Another of the animals with melanism, and that is that wolves are predatory wild animals that can take advantage of their melanism to hunt at night.
- Black Panther. Jaguars and leopards are two panther variants with a tendency to melanism.
- Black Butterfly. It is a good example of animals with industrial melanism. Instead of being colored to camouflage itself among the vegetation, it has turned black to adapt to pollution and smoke.
Do you know more animals with melanism and do you think they should be part of this list? Do not hesitate and leave your comment!
