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Ebony Velociraptor
Author: Ghirin
http://www.zoo-tek.com/forums/index.php?download=109
The ebony velociraptor is a melanistic variant of the velociraptor. In melanism, the high production of melanin leads to dark brown or black fur and/or skin. Melanistic variants are found in many different species ranging from fish to mammals and in some cases this color variant does not pose a major handicap to the individual (unlike albinism and leucism).
Melanistic animals tend to have higher survival rates in areas of dense foliage, where the darker pigment might provide better camouflage. This appears to be the case in felines such as black leopards and jaguars. In other instances, such as animals living in open country with little plant cover would be at a disadvantage because they would be more conspicuous to prey or predators.
Like modern animals, melanistic individuals occurred in dinosaur populations. Predators that lived in forested areas probably had
References:
Designer Reptiles and Amphibians. R.D. Bartlett and Patricia Bartlett, 2001.
Reptile and Amphibian Variants: Colors, Patterns, and Scales. H. Bernard Bechtel, 1995.
The Corn Snake Manual. Bill Love and Kathy Love, 2000.
Walker's Mammals of World. Nowak, 1999.
Created by Ghirin
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