What causes certain symmetry in some animals (specifically - animals and fur color)

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Ryan

Ryan

Lifer
Oct 31, 2000
27,519
2
81
Some animals are symmetrical, some are not. My parents have a cat that has non-symmetrical spots on it's fur, yet on my cat, the fur is practically mirrored on each side of her body.

What causes/determines symmetry?
 
D

dxkj

Lifer
Feb 17, 2001
11,772
2
81
i am symmetrical, but i saw a guy in a motorcycle accident that was missing his leg.....


i guess its Jeans
 
J

JoeKing

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
10,641
1
81
symmetry is a rough indicator of genetic health. Your genes split nice and evenly your probably prone to have less mutations to pass on to your offspring. So following Darwin if many generations prefer symmetry we'll find most things symmetrical. Legs are the same length, arms are the same length, face, ect.

But when it comes to things like fur other factors can override the symmetrical preference. Like survivability for example. Cats have been found in many regions so they have varying "fur" genes that have been passed into their breeds. In this case it's a matter of dominant spot genes vs. striped vs. whatever.

I know a geneticist is going to come into this thread and rip me a new one :eek:

--edit--
to further complicate cats and dogs is the selective breeding we've done to them. Bah I'm going back to peas.
 
HomeBrewerDude

HomeBrewerDude

Lifer
Jan 18, 2001
14,465
1
0
definitely related to genes. Did you know that Calico cats are almost always female...I can't remember anymore than that tho.
 
Mrvile

Mrvile

Lifer
Oct 16, 2004
14,066
1
0
Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude
definitely related to genes. Did you know that Calico cats are almost always female...I can't remember anymore than that tho.
Click to expand...

Make me a Calico cat!
 
PingSpike

PingSpike

Lifer
Feb 25, 2004
21,754
599
126
Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude
definitely related to genes. Did you know that Calico cats are almost always female...I can't remember anymore than that tho.
Click to expand...

The calico fur is excellent camo...helps them hide from predators with their kittens. I have a calico cat...judging by the amount of times she successfully surprise attacks me, her camo is effective on me.

I think the stripes are more effective for hunting though, something about it confuses animals with bad depth perception into not being able to see movement as well.
 
T

torpid

Lifer
Sep 14, 2003
11,631
11
76
Orange, white, and black is not excellent for camouflage unless it's muddy tar pits in winter. Calicos are calicos because of X gene codominance, I don't think it really is all that useful for hunting.
 
M

mercanucaribe

Banned
Oct 20, 2004
9,763
1
0
Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude
definitely related to genes. Did you know that Calico cats are almost always female...I can't remember anymore than that tho.
Click to expand...

Calicos are always female because the spots come from the fact that there are two X chromosomes, and the chromosome that gets used is random for each of those patches of skin, so it can be either one.
 
nakedfrog

nakedfrog

No Lifer
Apr 3, 2001
61,047
16,454
136
And IIRC, most long-haired white cats with blue eyes are deaf. I used to have one (RIP Nosey)
 
Phoenix86

Phoenix86

Lifer
May 21, 2003
14,644
10
81
Originally posted by: mercanucaribe
Originally posted by: HomeBrewerDude
definitely related to genes. Did you know that Calico cats are almost always female...I can't remember anymore than that tho.
Click to expand...

Calicos are always female because the spots come from the fact that there are two X chromosomes, and the chromosome that gets used is random for each of those patches of skin, so it can be either one.
Click to expand...

Incorrect, see above linkage. 1-10 Calicos are male, but likely sterile.
 
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