Tag Archive for 'Fur'

The sex-linked orange mutation in domestic cats causes variegated patches of reddish/yellow hair and is a defining signature of random X inactivation in female tortoiseshell and calico cats; unlike the situation for most coat color genes, there is no apparent homolog for sex-linked orange in other mammals; Kaelin et al. show that sex-linked orange is caused by a 5-kb deletion that leads to ectopic and melanocyte-specific expression of the Arhgap36 gene. Image credit: Kaelin et al., doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2025.04.055.

Researchers Identify Genetic Mutation Responsible for Orange Coat in Domestic Cats

May 16, 2025 by News Staff

This mutation is located in the Rho GTPase Activating Protein 36 (Arhgap36) gene and appears to occur in no other mammal, according to a research team...

Life reconstruction of Shenshou lui, an extinct squirrel-like euharamiyidan species from the Middle Jurassic of China. Image credit: Nobu Tamura, http://spinops.blogspot.com.

Early Mammals Had Dark and Dusky Grayish-Brown Fur, Study Suggests

Mar 13, 2025 by News Staff

Pelage coloration, which serves numerous functions, is crucial to the evolution of behavior, physiology, and habitat preferences of mammals. However, little...

Qi Zai, the only brown panda living in captivity. Image credit: Ailie HM / CC BY-SA 4.0 Deed.

Scientists Solve Mystery of Brown Giant Pandas

Mar 6, 2024 by Natali Anderson

Brown-and-white giant pandas are distinct coat color mutants found exclusively in the Qinling Mountains of China. Qi Zai, the only brown panda living in...

Neanderthals butchering the freshly killed cave lion from Siegsdorf, Germany. Image credit: Julio Lacerda / NLD.

Neanderthals Were Hunting Cave Lions 48,000 Years Ago

Oct 12, 2023 by News Staff

During the Upper Paleolithic, lions become an important theme in Paleolithic art and are more frequent in anthropogenic faunal assemblages. However, the...

Travouillon et al. examined the phenomenon of mammalian fluorescence to determine the extent of apparent fluorescence among mammals and to identify the anatomical regions most likely to fluoresce. The images show mammal taxidermy under UV light: (a) polar bear, (b) southern marsupial mole, (c) greater bilby, (d) mountain zebra, (e) bare-nosed wombat, (f) six-banded armadillo, (g) orange leaf-nosed bat, (h) quenda, (i) leopard, (j) Asian palm civet, (k) red fox, (l) dwarf spinner dolphin. Image credit: Travouillon et al., doi: 10.1098/rsos.230325.

At Least 125 Species of Mammals Glow under Ultraviolet Light, New Study Reveals

Oct 4, 2023 by Natali Anderson

Fluorescence — the absorption of short wavelengths of light and re-emission of longer wavelengths of light — is widely distributed among mammals...

Captive Pedetes capensis photographed under visible light (three insets) and under 395 nm UV light with a 470 nm longpass filter to documenting the orange to red biofluorescence ( 650 nm) of springhare. Images contain two different captive-bred, captive individuals (female -- bottom two larger images under ultraviolet light; male -- all remaining images) from the Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium in Omaha, Nebraska, the United States. Image credit: Olson et al., doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-83588-0.

Springhares Glow Orange and Red under Ultraviolet Light

Feb 23, 2021 by Natali Anderson

Scientists have discovered a vivid porphyrin-based biofluorescence in two species of springhares, Pedetes capensis and Pedetes surdaster. Captive Pedetes...

This image is a digital reproduction of a painting by John Lewin of a platypus in 1808.

Ultraviolet Fluorescence Discovered in Platypus

Nov 6, 2020 by Enrico de Lazaro

The fur of the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus), one of only five extant species of monotremes (egg-laying mammals), absorbs ultraviolet light at wavelengths...

Dr. Noel and Dr. Hu discover structures on the cat tongue, hollow spines that they call cavo papillae, shared across six species of cats. Image credit: Pavel Kessa.

Spiny Tongues Help Cats Keep Cool, Says New Study

Nov 23, 2018 by News Staff

The cat tongue is covered in sharp, rear-facing spines called papillae, the precise function of which is a mystery. In a combined experimental and theoretical...