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Of course, you already know what albinism is, but did you know that there is a condition that is quite the opposite? O melanism is a genetic condition that causes a excess pigmentation which makes the animals totally 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 by Animal Expert in which we explain some interesting facts about animals with melanism.
What causes melanism?
In order for you to understand what causes the excess or defect of melanism, we explain to you what it consists of the skin pigmentation. Pigmentation means color, and the pigment that gives the skin its color is called melanin, which is produced by special cells in the skin. If these cells do not work properly, due to any genetic condition, there is an alteration in the color pigment that the skin receives and, therefore, it creates disorders as in the case of albinism and melanism.
Albinism can affect animals as well as humans. This condition causes a lack of pigment in the skin and, most often, in the eyes and hair. Albino animals may have more problems with exposure to the sun and may even have a depressed immune system. In this article we explain the characteristics of albino dogs.
Types of Melanism
Melanism is a word from the Greek and means black pigments. As already explained, animals with melanism have black fur, feathers or scales, but why does this condition happen?
- 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 be hunted.
- industrial melanism. They are animals that have changed their color because of human industrial activities. The smoke and contamination have meant that animals such as butterflies and moths have been forced to adapt to their surroundings, becoming a little darker.
List of animals with melanism
There are several animals with melanism, although here we have compiled the five most famous.
- mexican royal serpent. This snake is native to the American continent and lives in arid and desert places. It can measure up to 1.5 meters in length.
- black guinea pig. Guinea pigs are increasingly popular as pets and can also show melanism regardless of their breed.
- black wolf. Another of the animals with melanism is the wolf and these are predatory animals that can take advantage of their melanism to hunt at night.
- Black Panther. Jaguars and leopards are two variants of the panther with a tendency to melanism.
- black butterfly. It is a good example of animals with industrial melanism. Instead of being colored to camouflage among vegetation, it evolved into a black color to adapt to contamination and smoke.
Do you know more animals with melanism and do you believe they should be on this list? Please stop commenting!
