Cats are one of the families of species that perhaps show rare colourations relatively regularly. I say relatively, because naturally these can be very rare. Like a black leopard or a king cheetah, these can exist as a recessive gene.
Having said this, a tiger with more black on it, may well be better at hunting when there is little light, which could boost its chances of breeding effectively. This picture is from late in 2023, from Similipal Tiger Reserve in Odisha. There is a significant history of this genetic mutation in this reserve (though that is not particularly surprising, as black leopards and similar are also genetic so tend to occur in the same area for a time).
Continue reading “Rare black tiger spotted in Odisha”