Scientists Unravel Mystery Behind Odisha's Rare, Endemic 'Black Tigers'
NDTV
Scientists have discovered new genetic information about Similipal, Odisha's 'black tigers' -- rare mutant tigers long considered mythical.
The enduring mystery behind the 'black tigers' of Similipal in Odisha may finally have been resolved with researchers identifying a single mutation in a gene that causes their distinctive stripes to broaden and spread into their tawny pelt, occasionally appearing entirely dark.
Considered mythical for centuries, the 'black tigers' have long been a subject of fascination. Now, a team led by ecologist Dr Uma Ramakrishnan and her student Mr Vinay Sagar from the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bangalore, have discovered that the coat colouration and patterning that make the wild cats appear dark boil down to a single mutation in the Transmembrane Aminopeptidase Q (Taqpep) gene.
"Ours is the first and only study to investigate the genetic basis for this phenotype (look). While the phenotype has been talked about and written about earlier, this is the first time its genetic underpinnings were scientifically investigated," Dr Ramkrishnan, professor at National Centre for Biological Sciences, told PTI.
The researchers combined genetic analyses of other tiger populations from India and data from computer simulations to show that the Similipal black tigers may have arisen from a very small founding population of tigers and are inbred, providing an answer to the question that had perplexed so many.
