Genes are short sections of DNA that determine an animal’s traits—everything from coat color and claw strength to body shape and health. But sometimes, these genes mutate. And while the word itself sounds alarming, most mutations are harmless and invisible.

The more noticeable ones, however, can produce features that are quite rare for the species.

To give you a sense of how these fascinating genetic quirks show up in nature, we’ve put together a gallery of animals — from cats and mice to crabs, penguins, and beyond — each displaying traits that make them stand out from their peers.

#1 A Cat With 2 Pairs Of Ears

#2 Olive The Cat With Sectoral Heterochromia

#3 Albino Fur Seal Is Rare Event. This Is A Clear Albino Without Any Pigmentation Even In Its Eyes

#4 Cat’s Seperated Pupils. She Can See Perfectly Fine

#5 The Clompers Demand Respect

#6 Yellow Coloured Penguin

#7 Do You See Fortune Cookies, Raviolis, Or Something Else? These Are Actually Albino Razorback Musk Turtle Babies

#8 Two Headed Python, Only One Every 100,000 Is Born With Two Heads

#9 Macromutation That Causes The Frog To Grow Eyes Inside The Mouth

#10 Extremely Rare Spotless Giraffe Born In US Zoo

#11 These Zebras Have Pseudomelanism (AKA Abundism), A Mutation That Causes An Abundance Of Melanin

#12 A Labrador Born Green Because Of A Pigment Called Biliverdin

His name is Pistacchio and he’s doing fine! He was born in Pattada, a little village in Sardinia. The green color, which will progressively fade away, is a consequence of biliverdin, a pigment that he ingested while in the womb.

#13 Liquorice Has A Question

#14 My Parents Got A Maine Coon Kitten With A Million Toes! His Name Is Chino

I don’t even know how to describe it, his front paws have almost another paw on it, like where a human would have a thumb he has this 3 toed paw. His feet are little paddles with 8-9 toe beans. I’ve never seen a cat with so many fingers. My boyfriend and I have a poly cat with one extra little thumb on his front paws but Chino is the most toed cat I’ve ever met!

#15 Rare Orange Shark, Costa Rica. Its Unusual Colour Is Caused By Something Called Xanthism, A Condition Which Researchers Say Is Extremely Rare In Fishes Like Sharks

#16 1 In Every 100,000 Seals Are Born Albino Which Makes Them Super Rare

#17 Shiny Blue Curl Mouse!

#18 An Albino Katydid With A Rare Genetic Disease Just Chilling On A Hibiscus

#19 Rare Royal Purple Princess Crabs Were Spotted In Kaeng Krachan National Park, Thailand

#20 This Entirely Black Penguin, A Very Rare Occurance

#21 My Yard Has A Mole Problem, But I Never Thought I’d Find An Albino! Chance Of 1:100,000

#22 This Raven’s Striking Pale Plumage Is The Result Of The Genetic Mutations Leucism Or Albinism

#23 Beautiful Eyes

#24 Cat Has A Rare Genetic Disorder That Makes Her Teeth Red And Glow Pink Under Black Light

#25 This Small Stack Of A Mutant Bumble Bee I Found Early One Morning. I’m Assured This Is A Genetic Mutation And Very Rare To Witness

#26 This Gorgeous Fella Foraging In Our Back Forest

#27 Waffles Was Born Without Eyes Due To A Genetic Mutation And Is A Very Good Boy

#28 A Tortoiseshell Cat With An Extraordinary Orange Pattern On Its Paws

#29 Rare Orange Snowy Owl

#30 This Is A Cinnamon Raccoon. This Coloration Is Typically Due To A Genetic Condition Called Leucism, Which Reduces Pigmentation

#31 Shiny Mallard

#32 Lemon Dalmatian

#33 I Was Very Fortunate To Spot This White Eastern Gray Squirrel In Highlands North Carolina

The white squirrel is actually a genetic anomaly due to a mutated gene from the common Eastern gray squirrel. It is called leucism, which is a condition characterized by reduced pigmentation in animals caused by a recessive allele. Unlike albinism, it is a reduction of all types of skin pigment, not just melanin.

#34 Anyone Else Have A Five Toe Chicken? I’ve Personally Never Seen One, Or Even Knew These Existed

#35 My Horse’s Two-Toned Mustache

#36 This Zebra Has Unusual Pattern That Makes It Almost Look Like Partially Transparent Against The Plains

#37 Caught The Lucky Trout This Morning

#38 Adelie Penguin With Isabellinism, A Genetic Mutation That Dilutes The Pigment In Feathers

#39 Shiny Kangaroo Taking A Bath

#40 Yellow-Throated Toucan With A Genetic Condition Called Leucism. Spotted In Costa Rica

#41 My Wild Axolotl Showing The Default Color. There Are About 18 Variants Of Axolotl Color Because Of Mutation Of Their Pigmentation Genes Due To Crossbreeding

#42 Leptopoma Perlucidum, Commonly Known As A Terrestrial Land Snail , But People Think He’s A Cutie Patootie Blushing

#43 Sleepy Qizai. He Is A Very Rare Brown Panda And The Only One Living In Captivity

He was found abandoned in the wild and now lives in the Louguantai wild animal breeding and protection center. There are only 9 known brown pandas!

#44 White Kiwi Chick

#45 Would You Say He Has Brown Or Blue Eyes? (Both Of His Eyes Have The Mutation)

#46 Blue Mutated Phelsuma Laticauda

“1 In 2,000,000”: 46 Animals With Rare Genetic Mutations That Don’t Even Look Real (New Pics)

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