Pixabay
–
Three Striped Cat Illustration
–
HAI-Online.com – Many people must be wondering why the striped cat can only be found in female cats? Meanwhile, it’s hard to find the striped cat in males. Apparently there is an explanation, you know.
Also Read: Often Viewed as Disgusting, This Is The Important Role Of Cockroaches For The Earth
Launching Kompas.com, Professor of IPB University as well as Geneticist, Observer of Education and Culture Prof. Ronny Rachman Noor has an explanation.
In detail related to the genetic phenomenon that is a mystery in the striped cat or in the world of dogs known as the Calico cat.
Prof. Ronny said that domestic cats have 38 chromosomes. These chromosomes in each cell of the body are in a paired state, namely 19 pairs.
Among the 19 pairs of chromosomes owned by this cat, there are 18 pairs called the autosomal chromosome (autosomal chromosome) and a pair of sex chromosomes (sex chromosome).
Half of this chromosome pair is obtained from the male and the other half from the mother. So a male cat will have 18 pairs of autosomal chromosomes and a pair of sex chromosomes (X and Y; usually denoted XY), while a female cat has 18 pairs of autosomes and a pair of sex chromosomes (X and X; denoted as XX).
“Calico color involves several inheritance mechanisms located on the autosomal chromosomes and sex chromosomes. The most common colors involved are red and black or a substitute for red can be other colors, namely orange, yellow and cream, while black can be other colors, namely brown, tabby and blue, “he said.
Both of these color groups are known as sex linked co-dominant in genetic science. This means that the red and black colors are present on the sex chromosomes and their inheritance does not dominate each other.
So there are only two color variations of male cats, namely red (orange, yellow and cream) and black (brown, tabby and blue), because they only have one sex chromosome.
Meanwhile, female cats can have red (orange, yellow and cream), black (brown, tabby and blue) and tortoiseshell colors if they are heterozygous or in an organism that has different allelic pairs (genes at loci).
Also Read: Dolphins Intelligence, It Turns Out They Can Learn Friends ‘Names’ for Gangs
The appearance of three stripes besides involving the inheritance of sex-linked traits also involves genes in the autosome that control the appearance of solid colors and white spots. There are three combinations of color patterns produced by this gene, namely plain if the gene is in a homozygous recessive state (ss), limited white spots if present in a heterozygous state (Ss) and intensive white spots if the gene is in a homozygous dominant state (SS).
The three stripes color will appear if the combination of genes that produce tortoiseshell colors together with genes that cause white spots, both homicygote (SS) and heterosygote (Ss). “So genetically, there are only three striped female cats because female cats have two X (XX) krosomosm and genes that control the appearance of red (orange, yellow and cream) and black (brown, tabby and blue) on the sex chromosomes. X is in a heterosygous state, ”he explained.
Prof. Ronny explained that even though it happens very rarely, there is still a possibility that a three-striped male cat appears. The appearance of this three-striped male cat occurs because of an abnormality in the number of X chromosomes, which has an excess of X chromosomes, so that male cats who usually have XY sex chromosomes now have XXY sex chromosomes.
“In humans, this excess XXY chromosome abnormality also occurs which is called Klinefelter Syndrome. The excess of the X chromosome allows red (orange, yellow and cream) and black (brown, tabby and blue) colors to exist in a heterosygous state.
However, usually the mortality during pregnancy or shortly after birth of this cat is very high. Even if the male cat with three stripes can survive to adulthood, it usually cannot reproduce because of this extra X chromosome, “he added.
Prof. Ronny emphasized that the appearance of a very rare three-striped male cat is indeed related to genetic phenomena. Due to the excess X sex chromosome abnormality. While the death of a three striped male cat in the womb and shortly after birth is not eaten by his father, but because of the high mortality due to this excess X chromosome and usually has died before or shortly after birth, “World
cats are very charming and there are still many secrets to be revealed, “he said.
Now, that’s the scientific reason why three striped cats can only be found in female cats, not male cats.
Also Read: This new dinosaur species has crested bones for communication
This article has been published on Kompas.com with the title “IPB Experts Explain the Reason for No Striped Cats
Three Males”
Featured Videos
PROMOTED CONTENT
– .
