Just in time for Halloween, a Golden Retriever puppy spooked its human after it was born with green fur.
Joanna Justice, the owner of the dog who lives in the north German town of Wermelskirchen, told a local news agency, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA), that she was surprised by the unique trait of the puppy, especially since its eight other siblings have appeared normal. She decided to name it Mojito, after a cocktail that has a similar shade of green.
Although it looks weird to many people, Christian Dimitriadis, a veterinarian in Dusseldorf, said that the puppy is as healthy as its siblings. Although it is extremely rare, Mojito's condition is not dangerous, and the green color will fade out naturally after a few days or weeks of licking from its mother. Once the color disappeared, the natural bright white color of a Golden Retriever pup will appear.
The mint green golden retriever puppy "Mojito" sleeps between other puppies in Wermelskirchen in the Rheinisch-Bergisch district, Germany. Marcel Kusch/@GettyImages — https://t.co/fGevB80oaE pic.twitter.com/W2tM33OXUf — Yahoo News Photos (@yahoophoto) October 22, 2019
It's not uncommon
The occurrence of "green pup" is actually not that uncommon. In fact, earlier this month, a Great Dane puppy was born with a "shamrock-shade" of green skin in Colorado.
A litter of Great Dane puppies born in Colorado featured one unusual addition — a green puppy. READ MORE: https://t.co/KFUypAjLpz pic.twitter.com/HmJFJuKKTQ — Globalnews.ca (@globalnews) October 23, 2019
In 2017, CNN also reported of another green Golden Retriever puppy born in Scotland.
This rare phenomenon normally happens among light-colored puppies after it had contacted biliverdin, a green pigment found in bile and the same pigment that appears on green bruises. The same pigment also appears on the placenta of dogs, and it could dye the puppy's fur.
Strange-colored babies also appeared on other animals. Some baby orcas were also seen with their white parts filled with peachy orange instead. Scientists explained that these calves have thin layer of blubber and the orange pigments are actually their blood vessels. Like the green dogs, the orange parts become normal as the orcas grew older.
Francois' langur monkeys are also sometimes born with orange fur that eventually fades out as their bodies develop.
View this post on InstagramThis cute critter is a newborn male François' langur, one of the world's rarest monkeys. Born at Taronga Zoo Sydney, Australia, to proud mama Noel, he is just a week old and doesn’t have a name yet. These rare monkeys are born with vibrant orange fur that lasts for just a few weeks before turning black, possibly to help adults identify them as infants. The females share parenting responsibilities, all taking it in turns to care for him, which helps the new mum cope and teaches the others vital skills. François’ langurs are endemic to China and Vietnam and are critically endangered, with only about 3,000 estimated left in the wild. Credit: Rick Stevens / @TarongaZoo A post shared by I Fucking Love Science (@iflscience) on Oct 9, 2019 at 8:15am PDT
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