Black Tiger by LAwebTek

Black (melanistic) colour is due to the non-agouti mutation. Agouti refers to the ticking of each individual hair on the background colour of a tabby cat. In certain light, the pattern still shows up because the background colour is less dense than the colour of the markings.

Other so-called black tigers are due to pseudo-melanism. Pseudo-melanistic tigers have thick stripes so close together that the tawny background is barely visible inbetween. One was shot in India in 1928 and another pseudo-melanistic tiger pelt was recovered in 1992. Pseudo-melanistic tigers are said to be getting more common; this may be due to inbreeding caused by habitat reduction. The observation that black tigers are smaller than normal tigers also suggests inbreeding. As humans require more space, tigers are forced into smaller areas with a smaller choice of mates; these conditions promote inbreeding and the perpetuation of anomalous patterns or colours.

In the mid-late 1700s, James Forbes painted a black tiger with even darker stripes. Similar tigers with faint markings have periodically been reported. These would correspond to the ghost markings seen on black leopards and black jaguars. A black tiger from the East Indies was apparently once housed at the Tower of London menagerie, but it was more likely to have been a black leopard. A jet-black tiger with no visible markings was apparently shot in India in 1915. Black tigers were reported in China in 1951, 1953 and 1957 (no information as to whether pseudo melanism or true melanism).

2003 LAwebTek

Updated 2010-10-30

Just to save space with less in zip and smaller image.