• AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space
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    1 day ago

    Apparently this is more common with cats. If you see a cat with two different coat patterns, either divided down the middle or along the neck (as if they only had spare parts left at the cat factory), they may also be a chimera.

    • very_well_lost@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      I wonder… is this more common in all animals that have average litter size >= 2? Or is there something else special to cats that explains this phenomenon?

      • Derpenheim@lemmy.zip
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        1 day ago

        In-utero growth rate + chromosome counts play a big role. I admit, ashamedly, that I have largely forgotten the reason they matter, but they do.

        Source, trust me bro

    • LurkingLuddite@piefed.social
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      1 day ago

      Half and half chimera is just the more unique variant, iirc, at least for humans. The more common type would just look splotchy if the different parts even happen to color differently. The patterns usually follow Blaschko’s lines but don’t have to.

      There are also more basic forms where people will just have certain body parts with different DNA, like an extra blood type or other less consequential things.