Siamese cats have pale, cream-colored bodies with dark brown fur on their extremities (their ears, face, legs, and tail). Siamese cats that live outside in warm climates tend to have lighter fur, and those that live outside in cooler climates tend to have darker fur. What is the best explanation for this pattern?

Question

Biology

Uriah

20 January, 08:52

Siamese cats have pale, cream-colored bodies with dark brown fur on their extremities (their ears, face, legs, and tail). Siamese cats that live outside in warm climates tend to have lighter fur, and those that live outside in cooler climates tend to have darker fur. What is the best explanation for this pattern?

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Answers (1)

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Leanna Oliver · Answer 1

Melanin

Explanation:

Some races that are genetically programmed in such a way that the color changes according to the ambient temperature, as is the case of the Siamese cat.

Siamese cats has a gene that produces melanin (gives hair color) depending on body temperature.

This gene stops painting color when the average temperature of cats is exceeded. This absence of color (that is, white cat) causes several curiosities to occur:

1) Siamese cats that are subjected to higher temperatures, for example in summer, can develop a partial albinism.

2) Siamese babies are usually born very white, because in the mother's womb the temperature is warm. As they come in contact with the outside, the gene begins to color their fur.

3) Cat's body is colder around the ears, legs and tail. For that reason they are usually the most colored areas of the Siamese.