After spying on a human, a team of biologists was thrilled. “one-in-a-million anomaly”In the desert of west Texas
A Facebook video shows a small muledeer bounding up the side a mountain.
“The rarest of rare,”This week, the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife said.
It was not the rarity of the mule-deer, but rather its color.
Mule deer generally have a brown color. This one is a black.
The fawn has a rare condition that resulted in darker fur. According to the department, Melanism is “a rare random genetic anomaly believed to be caused by mutations in the melanicortin 1 receptor gene (MC1R) which leads to an over production of the pigment melanin.”
The department stated that it is rarer than albino color.
“It’s difficult for biologists to quantify the number of mule deer that have this condition, but it’s estimated to be around 1 in several million – making it even more rare than an albino (all white hair) or piebald (white spotted) mule deer. A one-in-a-million anomaly.”