From roots to tips, this fur tells a tale of evolutionary wonder.
A new type of cat coat color has officially been discovered.
Named salmiak, or ‘salty liquorice,’ the cats have hair strands that start out black, and become white the further they grow from the follicle.
It turns out the unique color is caused by a recessive genetic mutation, rather than the expression of a gene known to turn cats white.
You’ve probably heard of spooky black cats, chaotic orange cats, and distinguished-looking tuxedo cats. If you’re really into cats, you might have even lesser-known color variants like seal point and ticked tabby. But there’s officially a new cat color in town: salmiak, or ‘salty liquorice.