Mink & Pearl

Mink is a beautiful colour with many variations, and also quite interesting genetically. The UK genes:

• M - Black, wild type dominant so really "no effect"
• m - Mink (recessive), dilutes black pigment to a storm cloud blue-brown, little effect on yellow pigment.
• Pe - Pearl, semi-dominant. No effect on black based rats, but dramatically changes the pigment on mink based rats. Lethal when homozygous
• pe - Non-pearl, wild type dominant so really "no effect"

Although the "lethal when homozygous" statement sounds quite scary, all it actually means is that no kittens homozygous for pearl will ever be born - the embryos are re-absorbed into the womb long before birth. There is no health risk attached to this process.

Imports of American rats (made via Europe) to the UK have shown the gene known as mink in the US is completely separate genetically to what is known in the UK. More information about that is available here. There has been no symbol assigned to this "mock mink" as of yet, and the pictures below are of English mink based animals.

 

a/a M/- pe/-	Black
a/a m/m pe/pe	Mink
A/- m/m pe/pe	Cinnamon
m/m Pe/pe	Pearl
A/- m/m Pe/pe	Cinnamon Pearl