melanistic
Excessively pigmented, black
Melanistic describes an animal with unusually dark coloration due to excess melanin pigment.
A melanistic leopard or jaguar is called a black panther; melanistic squirrels appear in some urban populations.
The condition is the opposite of albinism: The melanistic variant of the king cobra is striking but rare.
Darkest possible hue
sable · coal-black · pitch-dark · dusky · shadowy · charcoal · raven · obsidian
Large dark wildcat
- jaguarLarge American spotted cat
- leopardSpotted African wild cat
- wolfWild pack canine
- squirrelBushy-tailed tree rodent
penguin · snake · deer · fox · serval · zebra · flamingo · barn owl
Permanent DNA alteration
- alleleGene variant at one locus
- dominantHaving superior influence
- recessiveMasked unless paired identically
- genotypeOrganism's complete allele set
phenotype · inheritance · pigmentation · gene · chromosome · polymorphism · trait · heritability
black
Darkest possible hue
jet · sable · coal-black · pitch-dark · dusky · shadowy · charcoal · raven · obsidian · onyx
panther
Large dark wildcat
squirrel · penguin · snake · deer · fox · serval · zebra · flamingo · barn owl · moth
mutation
Permanent DNA alteration
- alleleGene variant at one locus
- dominantHaving superior influence
- recessiveMasked unless paired identically
genotype · phenotype · inheritance · pigmentation · gene · chromosome · polymorphism · trait · heritability · locus
uncommon
Seldom occurring or found
anomalous · sporadic · exceptional · scarce · variant · morph · aberrant · infrequent · unique · striking
melanisticalbino
One without melanin
albinistic · hypopigmented · depigmented · unpigmented · white
melanoma, melanin, melanocyte, melanism, melanocytes, melanization