Melanistic Animals | List of Melanistic Animals With Description

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Melanistic Animals: Most people don’t know about melanistic animals or what the term means. The special thing about these animals is that though we come across black coloured animals quite often it is only occasionally that we get to see a species born with a colour different than their regular colour.

Hence, animals with colours different than the colour of that species are called melanistic animals.

Melanistic animals are just the opposite of albino animals, which have a white body. Melanistic animals have too much melanin pigment in their skin which affects their hair, eye and skin colour. These animals have abundance of melanin causing them to be either completely black or partially black in colour.

Though albino animals have light coloured eyes, melanistic animals have regular eyes. We have collected a list of Melanistic Animals which are melanistic for your convenience.

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List of Animals which are Melanistic

Name of animals which are Melanistic

Description on the Melanistic animals on the list

Black leopard or commonly known as black panther

A black panther or a black leopard is a Melanistic variant of the leopard and the jaguar. They have excessive black pigments but their typical rosettes are present. These black creatures are mostly found in the tropical forests of Kenya, India, Sri Lanka, etc. It is caused due to a recessive allele in the leopard and due to a

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order Carnivora
Family Felidae
Genus Panthera
Scientific name Panthera pardus

Black jaguar

Jaguars are a large felid species and the only living members of the genus Panthera which is native to the Americas. It is a close cousin of the leopards. Their appearance is similar and people find it difficult to spot the difference between a black jaguar and a black panther.

The difference is that jaguars have one or two rosettes on their body unlike a leopard. The term ‘jaguar’ comes from the Indian name meaning the killer that kills its prey in a single wrap.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order Carnivora
Family Felidae
Genus Panthera
Scientific name Panthera onca

Black zebra

Zebras are African species with a distinctive black and white striped coat. But a black zebra has most of its body covered with black stripes and less white stripes.

They have a rather unusual dark colour due to a genetic abnormality in their melanin production which affects the pigmentation of the fur. There are very few black zebras but most of them do not live longer than six months since they are easier to spot.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order Perissodactyla
Family Equidae
Genus Equus
Scientific name Equus grevyi

Melanistic Red fox

These are the largest genus of true foxes in the northern hemisphere. Due to a rare condition, the red coat of these foxes come with some dark stripes and makes it a creature to behold.

These are also called cross foxes due to their unique majestic feature. Though they were present in large numbers previously, due to high demand of their fur, their numbers have declined.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order Carnivora
Family Canidae
Genus Vulpes
Scientific name Vulpes vulpes

Black Wolf

Generally wolfs are grey but the Melanistic variants are black. Research states that the black spots on these wolves are due to wolf and dog hybridisation. They differ from other wolfs is due to their coat and knee colour. The rest of the features are the same with the grey wolf.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order Carnivora
Family Canidae
Genus Canis
Scientific name Canis lupus

Melanistic Animals 1

Black Rattlesnake

These snakes are found in higher elevations in Arizona and in New Mexico. The black colouration of an adult snake distinguishes itself from the other species of the rattlesnake which live in lower elevations and are more tan and reddish in colour as adults than the black rattlesnakes.

They can have dark brown blotches or dark olive ones with light interspaces between the blotches. Some of them are less darker than the others.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Reptilia
Order Squamata
Family Viperidae
Genus Crotalus
Scientific name Crotalus cerastes

Black Grass snake

It is a type of grass snake or water snake in Eurasian areas. These are non-venomous and often near waterbodies. They eat almost exclusively on amphibians in the waterbodies.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Reptilia
Order Squamata
Family Colubridae
Genus Natrix
Scientific name Natrix natrix

Melanistic Fawn

A fawn is a type of deer or true deer with hoofs. But the black fawns are truly an usual and beautiful creature. It is even rarer than albinism. Sometimes a mother fawn can produce all black offspring which are called black fawns. They do not last long in the wild since they are easy to spot, and are hunted down by other predators.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order Artiodactyla
Family Cervidae
Genus Cervus
Scientific name Cervus pudu

Black King penguin

Mutant all black penguins are a very rare mutant. One of them was seen on the sub-Antractic island on South Georgia. They have a black head, a chin, vivid orange throat but unlike others, they do not have a white chest.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Aves
Order Sphenisciformes
Family Spheniscidae
Genus Aptenodytes
Scientific name Aptenodytes patagonicus

Melanistic Seal

Seals are common creatures with fin foots and are semiaquatic. They are mostly marine mammals. There are many variants of these seals but the black ones have an entire coat of black skin. Seal is an umbrella term which includes sea lions, walruses, etc.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order Carnivora
Family Otariidae
Genus Eumetopias
Scientific name Eumetopias jabatus

Melanistic Grey squirrel

These squirrels are found in the eastern United States and in South eastern Canada. They live in trees and are an essential natural forest regenerator. These are called invasive species sometimes. Though the common ones are brownish to greyish in colour, the Melanistic variants are quite uncommon and cannot be easily spotted.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order Rodentia
Family Sciuridae
Genus Sciurus
Scientific name Sciurus carolinensis

Black Owls

It is species of owl which is entirely nocturnal. They are midsized black and white neotropical birds and do not migrate far. Its natural habitats are varied according to the region they live in and their altitude. It has densely blackish fur all over its body and some horizontally striated white, wavy lines.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Aves
Order Strigiformes
Family Strigidae
Genus Strix
Scientific name Strix huhula

Melanistic Animals 2

Black Flamingo

The term ‘flamingo’ comes from the Portuguese or Spanish term meaning flame coloured. They are wading birds but the black Melanistic species are rare. It is so rare that people almost don’t believe that it exists. It is an ultra-rare species that was once spotted at Akrotiti.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Aves
Order Phoenicopteriformes
Family Phoenicopteridae
Genus Phoenicoparrus
Scientific name Phoenicoparrus andinus

Black Cheetah

It is a large cat species native to Iran and Africa. It is the fastest land animal on earth and has record speeds. It has a light build, long thin legs and a long tail. The black cheetahs have more melanin than the spotted ones and the undercoat is also different. Hey are also called mutant cheetahs.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order Carnivora
Family Felidae
Genus Acinonyx
Scientific name Acinonyx jubatus

Black Manta Ray

These are large rays which live in the oceans and seas. They have the largest brain to body ratio among all the fish. It can also pass the mirror test meaning that it can recognise itself which shows its cognitive self-awareness ability.

One such black manta was seen swilling in the ocean and it is a rare sight to behold. It is a unique and majestic creature.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Chondrichthyes
Order Myliobatiformes
Family Mobulidae
Genus Manta
Scientific name Mobula hynei

Black Porcupine

It is a porcupine species endemic to the New World, in Brazil. It is present in the Amazon rainforests in the east of the Madeira River. They have sharp needles on their back which protects them from predators.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order Rodentia
Family Erethizontidae
Genus Coendou
Scientific name Coendou nycthermera

Black Racoon

A black racoon is sometimes called the common racoon to distinguish it from the other species. It is native to North America and is the largest of the procyonid family. They have extremely dextrous paws, a unique facial mask and a ringed tail which has its mention in many myths and tales.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order Carnicora
Family Procyonidae
Genus Procyon
Scientific name Procyon lotor

Black European Rabbit

It is a small creature and a species of rabbit native to the Iberian Peninsula of Spain, Portugal, and France. It has led to many devastating effects on local biodiversity but its decline due to a disease, and overhunting has caused the decline of highly dependent predators.

It had evolved around four thousand years ago in Europe and includes many domesticated breeds since the Roman times. It appears mostly in Spain now but has spread to many other areas of the world as well. Sometimes, the black crosses with a tan to create another colour.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order Lagomorpha
Family Leporidae
Genus Oryctolagus
Scientific name Oryctolagus cuniculus

Melanistic golden mantled ground squirrel

It is native to North America and is present in regions of British Columbia and Alberta. The Melanistic variants are very rare and only a few are seen in the wild every few years. They have a defective mutant gene which leads to their unusual colouration.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order Rodentia
Family Sciuridae
Genus Callospermophilus
Scientific name Callospermophilus lateralis

Melanistic Caiman

A caiman is an alligatoroid belonging to one of two lineages of alligators. They live in Mexico, Central and Southern America in the marshes and swamps. They have scaly black skin and have a nocturnal existence.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Reptilia
Order Crocodilia
Family Alligatoridae
Genus Alligatoridae niger

Scientific name,

Black carpenter bee

A carpenter bee includes many subgenera. The black variants is due to a mutation in one of its genes which results in melanism, making the carpenter bee black, rather than their regular colour. They live alongside their families and create a small social group among themselves.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Insecta
Order Hymenoptera
Family Apidae
Genus Xylocopa
Scientific name Xylocopa violacea

Black Axolotl

Black axolotls are quite interactive amphibians and many keep them as a pet. They live in purely aquatic environment and are related to the tiger salamander species. They reach adulthood without going through metamorphosis. These are critically endangered species due to collection and water pollution. Their population is ever decreasing and risk extinction.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Amphibia
Order Urodela
Family Ambystomatidae
Genus Ambystoma
Scientific name Ambystoma mexicanum

Black mallard

A mallard is a wild duck that lives across the temperate and the subtropical regions of America, Eurasia, and North Africa. They hide in plain sight in shallow wetlands. The male and the female species look very similar. The black mallard has grown exponentially in the east and has become quite common.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Aves
Order Anseriformes
Family Anatidae
Genus Anas
Scientific name Anas platyrhynchos

Black garter snake

It is a common name including medium sized snakes endemic to North and Central America. They have a black body with white long stripes running along the lengths of their body. Big black snakes are not usually seen but they are typically black with grey or olive-grey stripes.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Reptilia
Order Squmata
Family Colobridae
Genus Thamnophis
Scientific name Thamnophis cyrtopsis

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