White turtles, black zebras, golden tigers, pink katydids — they often don’t survive for long in the wild without the benefits of their natural coloring. However, such animals never fail to capture people's hearts.
We created a wonderful selection of photographs that show how nature can be generous and selective at the same time. Buckle up for an enormous amount of beauty. Nature is the most skillful artist. Which animal do you think changed in the most beautiful manner? Have you seen any of them in real life? Do you have a cat with multicolored eyes? Share your wonderful photos in the comments.
Blue-white peacock: As birds with a most impressive plumage, male peacocks need bright feathers to attract a mate. A sense of aesthetic beauty has greatly evolved among these birds. According to a legend, when peacocks were created they were given a horrible voice and mesmerizing beauty. The peacock in the photo above is an extremely rare combination of an albino and a regular coloring of fabulous feathers. We can't take our eyes off it.
Golden tiger: This gorgeous coloration is the result of captive breeding and might not even appear in the wild. Scientists still don't have a name for this color variation, which is caused by a recessive gene. Some call it a strawberry tiger or a golden tabby tiger.
Pink katydids: Recent research has shown that pink may soon become a dominant color among North American katydids due to the recess of a green pigment. Pink katydids were discovered in 1874 and called genetic mutants for their bright coloring. Fancy insects, we say. Are pink katydids rare? Pink katydids are a color morph of the green katydid and were first discovered in 1887. They are relatively uncommon. Only one of about 500 has this pink pigmentation, also known as erythrism.
Albino turtle: It's a very rare and unique occasion to see an albino turtle heading to the ocean. Experts say that one out of 1,000 turtles usually survive to maturity in the ocean, and an albino's chances are even lower. We believe that this little guy surfs around the Great Barrier Reef. Albino turtles are so rare, and so beautiful, that they tend to cause a stir online. Several years ago an albino pinkbelly sideneck turtle was born with her heart beating outside of her body. Appropriately named Hope, she became an online sensation and continues to thrive thanks to the care of her owner, who posts updates about her progress on Instagram. © LouGadu/imgur
Albino snake: Albino snakes are among the rarest albino animals in the world. It's interesting to know that albino snakes are not born completely white: their skin coloring gets lighter with every month of their life due to a lack of dark pigments. An albino snake is a type of snake that is born with a genetic abnormality known as albinism, which is a lack of pigmentation in the body and eyes. This leads to snakes that are white in color, or may be lacking a particular coloration that is typical, for example a snake that is usually yellow, white, and red might only be yellow and white. Albinism also typically causes a snake's eyes to be solid red in color and may reduce the snake's eyesight. Corn snakes and Burmese pythons are both fairly common types of albino snakes.
Antarctic fur seal: Found in chilly northern waters, these are not ordinary seals: their skin is covered with fur. In fact, fur seals evolved from the same ancestors as dogs and bears. About one in 1,000 Antarctic fur seals is a pale "blonde" variant, which is extremely rare. How many Antarctic fur seals are left in the world? How many Antarctic Fur Seals are there today? There are only very rough estimates of the Antarctic Fur Seal population due to the fact that they spend so much of their time out at sea. The best guesses place the population at somewhere over 2,000,000 to 4,000,000.
Young nutria and its albino mother: Found most commonly in freshwater marshes, nutrias love water like no other animal. However, some people consider their behavior to be too invasive and destructive, especially during feeding.
Half-red half-blue lobster: You're one in a million... He, in fact, is one in 50 million! A bi-colored blue and red lobster. However, the rarest lobster is a white lobster. The chance of seeing a white lobster is only one in 100 million. These 2-color lobsters are hermaphrodites, containing a male sex organ on one side of the body and a female sex organ on the other side. © okanagandude/reddit
Snow-white kangaroo: The coat of this baby kangaroo looks amazingly white compared to its gray companion. The gray coloring helps them to blend in with the background and avoid predators. Albino kangaroos are very vulnerable to sunburn because of their skin. One of the first white kangaroos was spotted more than 5 years ago at the Namadgi National Park, Australia.
Seneca white deer: A very rare herd of white deer lives in Seneca County, New York. They are not albino, but they carry a set of recessive genes for all-white coats. It's the largest herd in the world and the most protected one as the white coats make deer easy prey for hunters and coyotes. At one time, white deer accounted for almost 200 of the approximately 800 deer within the Depot fence. The population of both white and brown deer appears to have decreased in recent years. The future of the deer, as well as the rest of the wildlife in the former Depot will depend on maintaining Deer Haven Park as a safe refuge and improving the habitat for these beautiful animals. © grandmasneighbor/reddit
Melanistic and albino zebras: Unlike albinism, melanism is the over-production of melanin, the pigment that colors skin. Some animals, like zebras, don't lose their pigment completely. A melanistic zebra isn't fully black – it has stripes of different shapes, and the dark markings become thicker and more prominent.
Black toad: Even if a prince kisses this toad it won't turn into a beautiful lady. It won't even turn pink. That's how strong its skin pigmentation is. Black toads are out of the ordinary, as are black frogs. The contrast of their skin color is not a benefit since predators can easily spot them in their surroundings. Don't you think that black toads look more stylish?
White horse: Noble white stallions are born white and stay white throughout their lives. They carry the dominant "white" genes, which are very rare. They are often referred to as gray horses, but, in fact, they are completely white and should not be confused with albino horses. The dominant white gene is rare but has occurred in many breeds.
Spirit bear: Also known as a kermode bear, it inhabits the Central and North Coast regions of British Columbia, Canada. They are not albinos either, and at least 200 individuals of their breed are creamy white. The indigenous people consider white bears sacred, and it is prohibited to hunt them. How rare is a Spirit Bear? The Spirit Bear is one of the rarest animals in the world. It is truly a transformative experience to spend time in one's presence. Current population estimates are under review and vary from 50 to 150 individuals. This elusive animal is only found in a small portion of the Great Bear Rainforest.
Silver fox: A melanistic form of a red fox is a silver fox. When the red fox was domesticated, a new breed – the silver fox – appeared. Historically, it was very noble to wear clothes embroidered with its fur, especially in Russia, China, and Western Europe. The coloring may differ from silver-gray to dark black. Are silver foxes rare? Silver foxes are incredibly rare in the wild, and are the same species as the red fox but just have a different coloured coat. It is believed the animal could be one of a pair of silver foxes kept as pets by someone who lives nearby, with reports of the foxes having escaped in January this year, as well as in 2018.
Melanistic gray seal: Observations of gray seals in the North Sea have shown that black-and-white seals are not common. One in 300 seals is estimated to have the color genes deviations. Researchers pointed out that young black pups behave naturally with the rest of the group and didn't feel like outsiders. Who wouldn't love those eyes? Black seals are rare with research suggesting approximately 1 in 400 grey seals are melanistic.
Albino snail: They planned to blend in with their surroundings, but nature decided otherwise. One of the first albino snails was found several years ago in New Zealand by a group of hikers. Any attempt to camouflage will fail, which makes these snails an exposed prey to their enemies. Do albino snails exist? Albino Mystery Snails are the albino coloration of the mystery snail. These large and striking snails are great for adding some color to your aquarium, but they also serve some very useful purposes.
Pink hippo: 2 years ago, a rare pink hippo was spotted in Kenya. The rosy-hued hippopotamus has a condition called leucism, which occurs when the skin produces less pigment than usual. He is definitely not an albino though. Nature can unexpectedly show us so much beauty in every animal. © pikabu