Golden tiger: how the rarest tigers appeared on the planet

Not all tigers are red with black stripes. Unusual golden tigers are found in nature, which, as a result of genetic abnormalities, have a very original color. Such tigers are much less common than albino tigers, so few people know about golden tigers. Despite the fact that today in zoos around the world contains about 30 individuals of these rare cats, the mechanism of their appearance on the planet is not fully understood.

Golden tigers were first discovered and described at the beginning of the last century in India. Unusual cats that are devoid of black stripes on their skin are also called strawberry tigers. Like albinos, golden tigers are not a separate species of tigers, but only individuals with an unusual color variation, and they most often belong to the subspecies Bengal tiger.

Golden tigers, as a rule, are slightly larger than their relatives and have softer hair.

Scientists were able to find out that the unusual color is caused by a rare mutation, and the gene that is responsible for the golden color is recessive. That is, a similar color is inherited in rare cases and only if both parents have a recessive gene of a golden color. According to researchers, such mutations arise due to closely related bonds in small or isolated populations.

Rare golden tigers are bred in zoos. By purposefully crossing the owners of rare genes, it is possible to obtain unusual tiger cubs with strawberry color.