VIDEO: 21 Most Awkward Animal Mutations

Genetic mutations are the instrument by which nature adds new variations to life.

If the mutations give rise to advantageous traits, they get passed down through successive generations and can spread throughout the entire population of a species.

Evolution just wouldn’t be possible without mutations springing up now and again to bestow new attributes on creatures.

This video presents the most awkward animal mutations out there!

Cats That Glow

It is rather sad how this mutation came into existence since it is man made and came about during animal testing to find a cure for AIDS.

When unfertilized kitten eggs were injected with jellyfish DNA and rhesus macaque, the cats became immune to the feline version of AIDS, but it left them glowing under certain light conditions. Having a glow-in-the-dark cat sounds pretty cool, but who knows what sort of other problems the testing gave the cats.

The Octogoat

A farmer in Croatia was surprised when his kid, a baby goat, came out with not just four but eight legs!

The farmer, Zoran Paparic, ran to ask a neighbor to come back with him to check and make sure his own eyes weren’t deceiving him. Sure enough, the baby goat had eight legs total the result of two siblings fusing together as one animal. Zoran was prepared to keep the kid as a pet, but it died shortly after being born.

The Pink Dolphin

Not every animal mutation is bad or even awkward. Take this rarely spotted pink dolphin for example. A majestic animal just mutated to be a different color.

The Blue Lobster

Bright blue lobsters aren’t as rare as you might think. It happens when the lobster eats more of a certain type of protein. The effect doesn’t happen overnight, the color sort of seeps in and eventually, the entire shell of the lobster is blue.

An Orange Alligator

Most often animal mutations show up as a form of color mutation, making the animal stand out from its natural surrounding.

Take this poor alligator; he is going to have a much more difficult time catching prey than his brothers and sisters because of his orange color mutation. Since he isn’t the traditional mossy greenish brown colors, his prey will be able to spot his a mile away and have plenty of time to reach safety.

The Piebald Deer Fawn

It is rare to find a deer with Piebaldism, but it is a mutation that changes the appearance of the deer affected. Poor thing, how awkward would it be living as a deer that looks half albino. I wonder if all the other deer make fun of him because he is different.

The Hot Pink Bug

Even though they are a vibrant, beautiful color and amazing to look at, these katydids won’t last long since they are so visible to predators. They are affected by erythrism which is the abnormal abundance of a reddish pigment in an animal’s fur or skin. Maybe if you could keep them safe in a greenhouse garden, then you could keep them and wonder at their beautiful coloring.