remember when you used to draw animals as a kid using whatever colored crayons you had on hand you probably created ridiculous things like purple polar bears bright yellow parrots white lions and pink grasshoppers but what if i told you all those things aren't as made up as you might think the animal kingdom is far more colorful than you know and coming up are some of the world's rarest creatures that definitely won the genetic lottery melanistic fox when you think of the world's most beautiful wild animals foxes probably don't spring to mind but have you ever seen one like this before this is the incredibly rare and majestic cross fox which was once abundant in america until they were largely killed off in the late 19th century thanks to high demand for their unique fur cross foxes are almost identical to red foxes but they have a larger bushier tail with more wool under their feet the cross fox was given its name thanks to the long dark stripe running down its back intersecting another stripe to form a cross over the shoulders their incredibly unique coat is the result of a partially melanistic variant melanistic is basically the opposite of albinism meaning that an abundance of dark colored pigment is produced under the skin although melanistic foxes make up about 30 percent of the canadian fox population they're still a very rare sight to see but there's an even more elusive kind the silver fox these mysterious foxes are a fully melanistic version of the cross fox created through years of breeding as you can see they have a glossy black undercoat with a top coat that looks like they've been dusted with silver as well as some white coloring on the tip of their tails one thing's for sure you'd be incredibly lucky to see one of these foxes raiding your bins king cheetah notice anything out of the ordinary about this cheetah take a closer look at that magnificent coat when compared with its run-of-the-mill counterpart and you'll see what makes the so-called king cheetah so well sought after this stunning big cat is a variety of the regular cheetah with a rare mutation that produces cream-colored fur with large blotchy spots and three distinctive dark wide stripes extending from the neck down to the tail at first it was thought to be a different species altogether before it was discovered that the fur pattern was actually caused by a recessive gene that promotes the overproduction of melanin in the skin back in 1926 major a cooper shot a king cheetah and noticed how the fur was thicker and darker than normal so he named it after himself imagine you kill an animal and then you name it after yourself that's some nerve thankfully an english zoomologist wasn't impressed and renamed the animal ascenics rex rex translates as king in latin and the king cheeto was born this elusive big cat is actually one of the rarest animals in the world there are only about 30 or 50 in the entire world as few as 10 of those are thought to exist in the wild while the others are in protected parks and wildlife reservations you know when the king cheetahs heard how rare they were they started to get depressed now they can be found moping around rather than standing proud and regal but you can help them get their mojo back for the low low cost of hitting those like and subscribe buttons go on show them you care oh and don't forget about that little bell icon so you don't miss out on more amazing content pink caddy did this pretty pink insect is a cat he did which are related to grasshoppers and crickets and mostly found in the tropics like the amazon rainforest usually caddy dids are green but these awesome pink variants were first described back in 1874. since then there has been an intense discussion over the origins of their dazzling hue at the turn of the 20th century harvard entomologist hubbard scuddard suggested that the pink coloring could be seasonal meaning the normally green insect would change colors with the autumn leaves as the temperature drops but this theory was debunked when mermicologist william morton wheeler found bright pink caddited nymphs in the prairies of wisconsin and illinois during the summer season of july 1907 finally the truth was revealed these pimped out bugs suffer from a genetic mutation controlled by recessive genes which is known as erythrism this causes an absence of normal green pigment and or excessive production of a red or pink pigment in the skin pink caddiedads are pretty hard to come by in the wild which can partly be explained by the fact that hot pink is probably not the best camouflage albino snake albinism a condition where melanin pigment which controls skin hair and eye color is not produced doesn't just affect us humans whether you're afraid of snakes or not there's no denying that these albino serpents are seriously captivating but you're unlikely to ever see one for yourself because they're some of the rarest creatures in the world the reason why they're so few and far between is actually pretty sad in the wild most snakes rely on camouflage so they don't become another animal's dinner but an albino snake with its pearly white skin will stand out in its native habitat and will likely not last long enough to reproduce what's more albinism often results in poor eyesight which puts them at a disadvantage when hunting for food or avoiding danger albino animals are also more vulnerable to poachers looking to capitalize on the booming demand for exotic pets derived from rare creatures basically it's a hard life being this pretty blue lobster lobsters caught off the atlantic coast of north america aren't usually very colorful instead they tend to be a murky greenish brown but in 2016 two fishermen off the coast of nova scotia made the news when they caught not one but two vivid blue lobsters in quick succession just 150 kilometers apart netting a blue lobster is usually considered a sign of good fortune among the regions of fishermen so it seems like these guys got double lucky in fact the probability of the creatures having this coloring is widely touted as being 1 in 2 million considering around 200 million lobsters are caught in the north atlantic every year this equates to about 100 blue ones turning up annually blue lobsters get their dazzling cobalt hue thanks to a genetic abnormality that causes them to produce more of a certain protein than regular lobsters but it turns out blue isn't even the rarest colored crustacean you can hope to catch back in 2011 two dorset fishermen hit the ultimate jackpot when they netted this albino or crystal lobster near portland bill in weymouth these ghostly lobsters are caused by a genetic condition called leucism which leaves them with no pigment in their shells without any camouflage it's incredible that this stunning crustacean hadn't already been eaten by a predator like a shark in fact odds of hunting this bad boy are estimated to be 1 in 100 million i hope the fishermen bought a lottery ticket after this how lucky would you feel after netting one of these cool crustaceans have any of you guys ever seen an animal this rare in the flesh whether you spotted an elusive creature in the wild or at a zoo i'm genuinely curious to hear about it so let me know in the comments below now let's get back to it pink dolphins pink dolphins may sound like something from a fantasy land but they're about as real as they come these rosy hued ocean dwellers are actually known as the chinese white dolphin these creatures are beloved by the people of hong kong for their pale pink coloring and apparent abilities to bring good fortune they were first recorded in local waters as early as the 1600s and inhabit the waters surrounding the pearl river estuary but the chinese white dolphin is facing a number of threats to its natural habitat including overfishing water pollution and heavy marine traffic along with constant coastal development according to wwf hong kong there has been a staggering 80 percent drop in dolphin abundance in hong kong waters over the past 15 years all thanks to human interference the most recent government estimates indicate an average of just 32 chinese white dolphins left in hong kong waters a historic low in june 2020 wwf released an emergency action plan to protect the remaining population if that doesn't work they almost certainly face extinction two better humans pied peacocks peacocks are some of the most aesthetically pleasing birds to look at and male peacocks actually rely on their brightly colored plumage to attract a mate but not all peacocks are colorful just take a look at this unconventional show-off this lesser-known variation is known as the silver-pied peafowl which originated in the u. s in 1992 when it was discovered by three different breeders around the same time as you can see the male silver pied peacock is primarily snow white with about 20 percent of its body possessing some color mostly around the neck although albino pea fowl may exist almost all white pea fowls suffer from a rare genetic condition called leucism lucidic p-val can produce pigment but cannot deposit the pigment to their feathers resulting in a blue-gray eye color and a complete lack of colorization in their plumage in some cases peafowl can be affected by partial lucism which results in birds that are half colored and half white these super rare birds are known as pied peacocks talk about the best of both worlds this condition doesn't just affect peacocks either check out these incredibly rare piebald pythons that looks like they have little jack-o-lanterns all over their pearly white bodies golden tiger have you ever heard of anything more regal than a golden tiger rather than being a separate subspecies this glorious big cat sometimes called a golden tabby tiger or strawberry tiger is a color variation caused by a recessive gene known as a wide band gene these fabulous felines have gold-colored fur which is thicker and softer than a regular tiger's with pale orange stripes although it's a different version of the bengal tiger species golden tigers tend to be considerably larger and can weigh between 240 to 500 pounds the first ever golden tiger born in captivity came from two bengal tigers at the adriatic animal attractions in florida in 1983 when two of these tigers are mated with one another there's a chance that the offspring will be white because this variety also carries the recessive gene that is responsible for the slightly less rare white tiger the golden tiger is so rare that to the best of modern knowledge it only exists in captivity today even in this protected environment there are only 30 or fewer golden tigers in the world vitiligo rottweiler dogs come in all different shapes sizes and colors rottweilers are usually black with brown markings around their face and paws but take a look at this ice cool dude he may look like one of those inverted photographs but this pup's unique markings are actually the result of a condition called vitiligo animals who have vitiligo are unable to produce pigment in the skin causing light white patches to appear sporadically throughout the fur although any animal or breed can be affected vitiligo tends to appear most in rottweilers doberman pinschers and siamese cats the most commonly affected areas in dogs include lips nose eyelids face and foot pads vitiligo is also fairly common in humans affecting between 0.
5 to 1 percent of the population worldwide the condition can be improved where it occurs in people using immunosuppressive medications or ultraviolet phototherapy but there is no effective treatment in companion animals thankfully it has no effect on the animal's quality of life besides it looks pretty badass golden macaw parrots are already some of the most colorful creatures in the world but this golden mccall really takes the cake these seemingly solid gold birds are incredibly rare and get their dazzling color from the excessive production of a yellow pigmentation known as xanthrochromism the mutation is also related to the lack of the production of the color red which is instead replaced with yellow xanthochromatic birds are known as lutinos and are incredibly sought after among avian enthusiasts lutino golden macaws are a variant of the blue and gold macaw species but instead of having a black beak claw and facial features as well as the usual vibrant blue hue and gold feathers of a standard macaw the lutino has golden feathers and white features its eyes are a pinkish gray instead of black and even its tongue is white because of their color and rarity the pale birds are worth a significant sum of money and xanthrocomatic birds are deliberately bred to maintain the lutino strain albino turtle albinism affects pretty much every animal you can think of but some are harder to come by than others in fact albino turtles like this one are some of the rarest creatures in the world this tiny white turtle was discovered by researchers on a beach in queensland's north shore coast australia in 2016. five volunteers from the coulomb and north shore coast care group first saw the albino anomaly while gathering data on turtle nests and named him alby he was just one of 122 hatchlings that made their desperate sprint to the ocean but this albino straggler was left lying on his back according to colin limpus chief scientist with queensland's government's threatened species unit only one in ten thousand animals are born albino but alby is far rarer only one in one thousand sea turtles will survive to maturity and albino turtles chances of survival are even slimmer because they have no camouflage olympus estimates that albinism in sea turtles probably occurs in one of many hundred thousands of eggs that are laid there's no record of an albino turtle living long enough to nest so albie will likely have a tough life ahead of him albino panda although albinism can occur in basically any animal that doesn't mean albino variants have always been observed by humans on may 27 2019 researchers were stunned when an incredibly rare albino panda was spotted walking through a nature reserve in china footage of the all-white panda was captured on an infrared camera in the woolong natural nature reserve in sichuan province and was studied by researcher and bear specialist lee shang as you can see the panda was completely lacking in the usual black marks that characterized the species and it also had red eyes a common sign of albinism mr lee said that the panda sighting showed that albinism genes exist in the wild population of giant pandas in wulong which is a breakthrough discovery although this panda could be impaired by its condition thanks to its poor eyesight and lack of camouflage lee also noted that the bear looked strong and his steps were steady suggesting that its quality of life wasn't significantly reduced i wonder what this cutie is up to right now bi-color cardinal we've seen plenty of odd-colored animals but what about one that can't decide what color to be jeffrey and shirley caldwell from erie pennsylvania have been attracting birds to their backyard for over 25 years with an array of bird feeders but even they had never seen anything like this bi-colored cardinal that showed up in january 2019 the anomaly is known as bilateral ganandromorph which basically means half of the bird's body is male while the other half is female gynandromorphs otherwise known as half-ciders among bird experts are uncommon but not totally unheard of they probably occur in all species of birds but we're only likely to notice them in species where adult males and females look distinct from one another which is known as sexual dimorphism cardinals are among the most well-known sexually dimorphic birds in north america as the males have an iconic bright red plumage after all it is 20 20 now and this little cardinal can be whatever he wants to be occl techie horse the aqua techie horse is considered to be one of the most breathtakingly beautiful horse breeds in the world and it's easy to see why with its slender yet muscular body and otherworldly fur which seems to shimmer like gold in the light this horse looks more like a perfectly sculpted statue than a living breathing animal in turkmenistan where this is the national horse breed the occl techie horse is known as the golden horse this breed was first developed in response to the desertification of central asia and was used by nomadic tribes to travel long distances although it is already a fairly rare breed the population of akultekis is also threatened by factors like inbreeding within the population today there are less than seven thousand akulteki horses left in the world and they have been placed on the conservation priority list thankfully there are several breed groups and organizations working to conserve these beautiful animals wouldn't you just love to ride one of these bad boys into the sunset at the end of your life chimeric cat wouldn't it be great if you could blend two of your favorite colors together to create the perfect pet this one of a kind feline is venus the two-faced tortoiseshell cat and she's become something of an internet celebrity for her unusual appearance venus was found on a dairy farm in north carolina and adopted in 2009 as you can see one half of her face is a solid black with a green eye while the other has typical orange tabby stripes and a blue eye she's often referred to as a chimera which is a monster made from different animals in classical mythology feline chimeras occur when two embryos fuse together resulting in a cat whose cells contain two types of dna but chimeric cats aren't that rare in fact most male tortoise shells are chimeras this can be seen by their mottled orange and black coat which is a sign of an extra x chromosome females already have two x chromosomes meaning venus is even rarer although we can't be sure one theory is that the black coloration was randomly activated in all the cells on one side of her face while the orange coloration was activated on the other with the two meeting in the middle as she developed but her odd eyes have experts stumped it seems like venus might be a true one-off purple polar bear polar bears are known for their snow white fur so this image of a grape colored arctic predator must be photoshopped right wrong this 365 pound polar bear named palusa once belonged to a zoo in buenos aires but she didn't look like this when she arrived there palusa was actually turned purple by accident after she was given medication to treat her skin condition after suffering from dermatitis zeus staff decided to spray palusa with an antiseptic spray that was once used by pediatricians to treat children scraped knees or cuts it seems the staff did not read the label properly and totally missed the warning sign that read not for use on polar bears after palusa went all violet beauregard from charlie and the chocolate factory she was placed away from the public and her polar bear companion arturo she was put on a different antiseptic and was soon able to enjoy her normal baths and activities after returning to an acceptable color sadly palusa died in 2012 after battling cancer but she'll always be remembered as the one and only purple polar bear to walk the earth white lion lions are majestic enough already but a white lion well that's a whole different ball game the white lion is a rare color mutation of the southern african lion they're regarded as divine by some african cultures and first appeared around 400 years ago but they didn't become widely known to the english-speaking world until they were mentioned in the book the white lions of timbavati in 1977.
