#melanistic

Oncilla or Tigrillo (Leopardus tigrinus), MELANISTIC, family Felidae, Panama

Also called Northern Tiger Cat and Little Spotted Cat

🐱 Bengal

📸 Bastet Exotics

the variety of barn owl

Mal, a melanistic blue-winged kookaburra residing in rural Darwin

Behold a black cat of a different kind: this melanistic serval (Leptailurus serval). Also known as the “giraffe cat,” servals have the longest legs in proportion to their body size of any feline. Found in parts of Africa, this predator can jump more than 9 ft (2.7 m) into the air to snatch birds in flight. Individuals like the one pictured, which are rare in the wild, are affected by a genetic mutation called melanism, which results in their dark coloring. Scientists think there are some advantages that come with having a dusky coat, including being able to more seamlessly blend in with the darkness of the night and take in heat more efficiently in the Sun.