Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288) . Number 108, December 2013, pp. 26-42. | Page 5
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due to recessive genes for melanism and are not uncommon in the Indian
subspecies, but rarely if ever occur in other leopard subspecies. Red leopards
could only occur if a leopard inherited 2 recessive melanism genes plus 2
recessive non-extension genes?.
Melanism gene
(recessive)
Extension gene
(recessive)
Normal spotted
(black on tawny)
0 or 1 copy
0 or 1 copy
Black leopard
2 copies
0 or 1 copy
Red spotted
(red/orange on buff)
0 or 1 copy
2 copies
Red leopard
2 copies
2 copies
After Messybeast.com. http://www.messybeast.com/genetics/mutant-
leopards.html
Retrieverman (2012) mentions: ?There is some suggestion that these dark red
leopards are faded black leopards, which is a possibility. Spots can still be seen
on black leopards, so exact chemical make-up of the fur on the spots is different
from the fur that comprises the background. So it is possible that these red
leopards are faded black ones. The fading could have happened due to age or the
treatments used to preserve the skin.
I am not sure if anyone has examined these mahogany red leopards to see what
they exactly are or were. DNA could be extracted from at least some of these
taxidermies. And then we could find out if they were black leopards or ??B??F??27G&v&W''??"&VB6???&F????2??V?&V6W76?fRG&?B??BF??26??V?B&R?`?6??6W&?F??V?&B6??6W'fF????7G>( b??&WG&?WfW&???#"?FFVC?( T?B?2vV?W&??&WGG?V?6?????f?"fW'?&&P?&V6W76?fRG&?G2F?&RW?&W76VB??F?Rv??B??N( ?2?W7BF?R?GW&R?b&V6W76?fRG&?G2??F?W?6????&RW?&W76VBv?V?F?W?&R??????v?W2??B???GW&R?F?W&R?0?W7V??V??Vv?????r?bvV?W2F??VW&V6W76?fW2F??WFVB???V?F?????vRF??( ?BG??6??F?????b6??????V?&G22&V??rV?F?vW&VBB???F?W??&R7W'&V?F?F?R??7Bv?FW7&VB?bF?R&?r6G2??B&?vRg&??6?WF?g&?6???F?Rv?F?F?R'W76??f"V7B?F?W?&R7W'&V?F?W?F?'FVBg&???V6??`???'F?g&?6?BF?R?FF?RV7B??BF?W&R?2?V?W7V??6??FVB?V?F????`??V?&G2???f?v??6?&R6??Wv?B6???W"F????&??6??????V?&G2??vWfW"?vV?W2F???Bf??r7&?726??Bg&?62F?W???6RF?N( b??&WG&?WfW&???#"?FFVC?( T2???FVBV&?W"??V?&G2?????vW"W??7B????7@??bF?R?FF?RV7B?B??'F?g&?6?????6??FVB?V?F???27F???W??7B??@?WfV?v?F???F?R6?&R?b?V?&B&?vR??6??B7V"?6?&?g&?6?F?R?&?F@?v?V??R?F?R?W7F????&????v?6?'V??WF??( 2?V?&W"?( 2FV6V?&W"#0???