#genetic anomalies

[retrocgads]

USA 1997

[xtruss]

A Spotless Giraffe, Pictured in Namibia 🇳🇦, was seen and photographed for the first time in the wild just weeks after another animal with this type of coloring was born at a U.S. 🇺🇸 Zoo. Photograph By Eckart Demasius and Giraffe Conservation Foundation

Another Rare Spotless Giraffe Found—the First Ever Seen in the Wild

The sighting occurred just weeks after the unusual condition was seen in a newborn giraffe at a Tennessee zoo. Is it more common than scientists thought?

— By Dina Fine Maron | September 12, 2023

Just weeks after a giraffe at a U.S. Zoo was born missing its characteristic spots, another spotless giraffe calf has now been seen and photographed in the wild for the first time.

The unprecedented sighting occurred at Mount Etjo Safari Lodge, a private game reserve in central Namibia. Tour guide Eckart Demasius saw and photographed the solid-brown calf during a game drive on the roughly 90,000-acre reserve, according to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation. Demasius, who was not immediately available for comment, shared his photos with the giraffe nonprofit.

Sara Ferguson, a wildlife veterinarian and conservation health coordinator at the foundation, says the two recent spotless sightings are pure coincidence and that there’s no data to suggest this coloring is occurring more frequently than it had in the past.

This finding is just another example of “the weird way the world works” she says, adding that she’s “so amazed and pleased there is so much more to learn and discover about giraffe.”

Genetic Anomalies

The spotless reticulated giraffe born at Brights Zoo in Limestone, Tennessee, earlier this summer was recently named Kipekee, which means “Unique” in Swahili. The recent wild sighting occurred in another giraffe subspecies found in southern Africa, the Angolan giraffe.

Before these recent births, a giraffe with all-brown coloring was last seen at a Tokyo Zoo in 1972.

The spotless giraffe and its mother were photographed on a reserve with around 800 giraffes in central Namibia 🇳🇦. Photograph By Eckart Demasius and Giraffe Conservation Foundation

Scientists, including Ferguson, believe the solid coloring is likely due to one or more genetic mutations that haven’t yet been identified.

Some aspects of giraffe spots are passed down from mother to calf, according to a 2018 study in the Journal Peer J, and larger, rounder spots appear to be linked to higher survival rates for younger giraffes, but the reasons for that remain unclear.

Derek Lee, a Biology Professor at Penn State University and a co-author on the PeerJ Study, says that technically these two recent examples are not spotless animals, but instead —"one-spot-all-over giraffes."

It’s impossible to say what this genetic anomaly means for the animal’s health, he says, but there’s no evidence the color difference puts the animal at a disadvantage.

“We have a sample size here of one, so time will tell what happens.”

[tenth-sentence]

He outlined a new research programme which included studies in human chromosome mapping, human genetic aberrations, and cytogenetic studies on human cell and tissue cultures.

"Frankenstein's Footsteps: Science, Genetics and Popular Culture" - Jon Turney

[mamawasatesttube]

"Pizza? You're in Paris and you want pizza?" "Okay -- so I'll get French fries!" (source: superboy (1994) #54)

head in my hands. your honor... i love him so much

[frenreyhlvrai]

the voters asked I delivered. this is just body type practice for him

[freshmangojuice]

The fact that in Dear Dave, Lister says "If [Hayley Summers] had my kids..." implying an assumption that she would have twins. And accounting for Jim and Bexley being twins. AND how in BTE the figures representing Lister and Kochanski as a family have two kids...

Do we think Lister has a predisposition to father twins?

Y'all what if Lister himself was a twin, but two babies weren't viable in the artificial incubation system they had on Starbug?

AND what if THIS GUY from Inquisition...

... Is the twin that wasn't born???

[clementinecalls]

js wanna spread my transfem thiam propaganda again, theyre so sapphic its actually crazy

[givemewallywestorgivemedeath]

Other people seem to be going hard with the theory that this is the West baby. I can get that, the West baby had been kidnapped by the Fraction in Jai's future storyline. So I can understand making that connection.

However... Jai said that the Flash family was searching through time and space for the missing West baby. Wouldn't they just... pop into the past and grab him?

Also.... wouldn't he know who Bart and Ace are? Especially given that Bart is still Impulse when the West baby gets kidnapped? The mystery kid only reacted to Wally's face and it wasn't a joyful reunion.

It was pure shock. Like he'd just seen a ghost.

Guys, Gals and Nonbinary Pals... That's not the West baby. That's the Allen baby.

[mypimpademia]

The more I think about Miguel’s backstory the less I feel bad for him. Bc it’s like… you really sat down and convinced yourself that you could take the place of a dead version of yourself and all would be well.

[arolesbianism]

I've been thinking abt my critter dupes some more and it was all fun and games until I remembered that I made Mi-ma a beeta and hm. Whoops. Uh oh. (<- Considered the implications for more than 2 seconds)

[hearties-circus]

Theyre so sweet on eachother (they are making fun of eachother)

[Duncan: he/they, conan: they/them]

[histskins]

the triple threat of misogyny, general transphobia, & transmisogyny really has set feminism back like 100 years like people can't even comprehend a woman being good at sports anymore so instead they accuse these cis woman athletes of secretly being trans and/or chock full of testosterone one way or the other and no matter what you or any other normal person who actually knows how the human body works says they will kick and scream and cry about Unfair Advantages because women are just not as good at sports as men are guys!!! won't anyone think of the poor weak fragile women!!??!! god

[spiderman-into-the-sapphiverse]

"darth vader vs darth maul", "han solo vs hera syndulla" stfu there is only one battle that counts. who would win this race

[mythrilpencil]

Attempted a “monster” OC design challenge; ended up with a Zonai OC.

All I know about her is that she’s an architect, and I’m calling her Chiharu for now. She strikes me as a cinnamon roll though.

[red-revival]

I want to rip out all of my nerves and pain receptors.

[cgogs]

I feel like Nettle actually was hard to uhhh concieve/carry to term i feel due to genetics + dreams past physical trauma specifically to midsection also she probably does have some weird genetics going on. Ik she has her daddys weak lungs