Most interesting color mutations you have seen?

Nature Talk
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It’s always exciting when you find an animal or plant with an interesting color mutation. What are some you found? What is your favorite that you were found?

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Corvus cornix, 6.08 2011, Moscow, Russia: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/19740073 .

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For me it’s this https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/54544238

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This was my favorite:

An amelanistic Scarlet Snake in northern Florida
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/35607115

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This Blue Fungus Beetle in Colorado, https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/50279839 Blue on one side goldish on the other.

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I see your amelanistic snake and raise with a melanistic one, a pure black Eastern Garter Snake : https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/24695950

Plus a melanistic Tree Swallow https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/5345060

Both seen in Ontario, Canada

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I have a whole list!

  1. Depigmented Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/30514755
  2. Mechanical depigmented Red-tailed Hawk https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/44912970
  3. Oculocutaneous Albinism Type 4/Solute Carrier Family 45 Member 2 or just Oca4/Slc45a2 albino Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/24869125
  4. Depigmented Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/21300571
  5. Mechanical depigmented Harlan’s Hawk (Buteo [jamaicensis] harlani) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/39818076
  6. “Palomino” Rainbow Trout (Onchorhynchus mykiss) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/44267551
  7. Pink-striped Clear-winged Grasshopper (Camnula pellucida) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/31096247
  8. Yellow variant Bearded Iris (Iris x germanica) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/46556600
  9. Mechanical depigmented Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/55216550
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If you want to see heaps of great ones, there’s a project for it!
https://inaturalist.org/projects/amazing-aberrants

Favourite I’ve seen is the famous ‘ghost pīwakawaka’ of Stratford, as seen in this ob
https://inaturalist.nz/observations/47080818

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Это результат плохого питания либо нарушения фосфорно-кальциевого обмена.

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Mine would definitely be this Bumble Bee I found in IL USA a couple of months ago. I’m still not 100% sure what it is, but I think it’s a Bombus impatiens with yellow down the whole abdomen, if you read the notes on there, you can tell how confused I was. If anybody wants to weigh in on this, that would be great. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/50353052

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A few weeks ago I found a yellow form of stalked scarlet cup! I think my chances of finding an odd one were high, the heat and humidity brought them out in huge numbers. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/52709161

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Miner’s Lettuce with purple flowers? If not a mutant, certainly seems very rare here.

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/45403116

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An albino American Robin.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/34613358

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Not sure how rare this is, but I think striped poison ivy looks pretty cool.

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/52333050

There was a lot more contrast between the stripes in person.

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Уж больно правильный узор.

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mine has got to be this bright ping grasshopper: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/27312676

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В таких случаях пигмент пропадает не из всего пера, чаще всего на маховых и рулевых перьях.

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Not rare, but the only color variant I’ve seen so far. A melanistic European Adder. Here in the South of Germany it is also called “Höllenotter” literally “Hell Adder” https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/42472296

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Albinisitic marine mollusk shells are always fun to find. Here are some all-white cockle shells that I have found in Sanibel, Florida:

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/susanhewitt?utf8=✓&q=albinistic&search_on=&quality_grade=any&reviewed=&geoprivacy=&identifications=any&captive=&place_id=&swlat=&swlng=&nelat=&nelng=&taxon_name=&taxon_id=&day=&month=&year=&order_by=observations.id&order=desc&rank=&hrank=&lrank=&taxon_ids[]=&d1=&d2=&created_on=&site=&tdate=&list_id=&filters_open=true&view=map

The last listing shows you what non-albinistic ones look like.

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I don’t know if this counts as a mutation, strictly speaking, but I though this was very interesting two-toned lobster

It’s interesting that the color expression follows the symmetry of the body.

In addition, these are almost certainly not mutations, but the fact that some plants and animals bioluminesce or fluoresce under UV is also fascinating to me. It’s not always the ones you’d expect either: Fluorescent Sea Turtle

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