Eclipse, a two-toned babe, has been making waves on TikTok. In fact, the blue eyes and the mixture of black and caramel fur signal that she is an animal. chimera .
In Greek mythology, chimera is a mixture of lion, goat and serpent, they are several beings in one. However, there is a scientific explanation that helps to understand better.
“Chimera, chimerism or genetic chimerism, is the term that medicine attributes to individuals, humans or animals, who have two different types of genetic material, that is, they have two different types of DNA in their constitution”, explains veterinarian Marina Lara Rossi .
The phenomenon occurs still in the womb, when the embryos of non-identical twins (fraternal twins) “merge” or “incorporate” and give rise to a single animal or human being – which can result in varied physical characteristics such as colored eyes different, parts of the body with more or less pigmentation, presence of some autoimmune diseases and intersexuality (condition in which there is variation in sexual characteristics).
The identification of chimerism can be through DNA tests, however, it is important to emphasize that genetic chimerism is a rare and uncommon condition in animals and humans. It is possible that there are only about 30 cases of human chimerism in the world.
There are still cases that can be confused with heterochromia, which is the case of a genetic condition in which the eyes are of different colors, not the phenomenon of chimerism.
@gatinhaeclipse
In addition to the little kitten, there are other cats with chimerism that tutors share their routine on social networks, such as the famous tortoiseshell cat Venus, “the two-faced cat” from Argentina.
And the cat Narnia de la Grâce, a male of the British Shorthair breed, which has the two sides of the face well separated, one with a black color and the other with a gray color.
Marina recalls that although many studies report that most cases occur in cats, there may still be reports of dogs and parrots – and even a chimera lobster.
The chimera seafood was nicknamed “Halloween” because its body is half orange and half black.
Do chimera pets need special care?
Cats and dogs that have the phenomenon of chimerism will not develop any health problems due to this genetic condition, so they can continue playing and living a normal life.
“The tutor continues with the basic care of the pet with visits to the veterinarian, food and exercises”, reinforces the veterinary doctor.
Source: CNN Brasil
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