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Golden tiger
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A golden tiger, sometimes called a golden tabby tiger, is a Bengal tiger with a colour variation caused by a recessive gene. Like white tigers and black tigers, it is a morph, and not a separate subspecies. Known for its blonde or pale-golden color and red-brown (not black) stripes, the golden tiger colouring comes from a recessive trait referred to as "wideband" which affects the production of black during the hair growth cycle.[1] Tiger colorations that vary from the typical orange-with-black-stripe do occur in nature, but in a very small percentage.[2]
Captive breeding lines
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All golden tabby tigers in captivity seem traceable to a white tiger called Bhim,[3] a white son of a part-white Amur tiger named Tony. Tony is considered to be a common ancestor of all white tigers in North America. Bhim was a carrier of the wide band gene and transmitted this to some of his offspring. Bhim was bred to his sister Sumita (also a carrier of the wide band gene), giving rise to stripeless white tigers (i.e. having two copies of the wide band gene). Bhim was also bred to a normal orange tigress called Kimanthi, and then to his own orange daughter Indira from that mating. The mating of Bhim and Indira resulted in striped white, stripeless white, normal orange, and golden tabby offspring indicating that both Bhim and his daughter carried the wide band gene.[4] When the golden tabby male offspring was mated to the normal orange female offspring, both golden tabby tigers and white tigers resulted.
Litters of different coloured cubs are not unusual because the white and golden tabby colours are caused by combinations of hidden recessive genes carried by the parents. White tigers, such as Dreamworld's Mohan (named after the white tiger captured in India in the 1950s), are highly inbred. Inbreeding reduces genetic variability and may cause hidden genes to manifest as there is a greater probability that two recessive genes will meet up.
Analysis of golden tiger family trees shows that golden tigers are genetically normal orange coloured tigers with the addition of a recessive modifying gene, probably the wide band gene. This same wide band gene also gives rise to stripeless white tigers. A white tiger that inherits two copies of the recessive wide band gene will be a stripeless white. A normal orange tiger that inherits two copies of the recessive wide band gene will be a golden tabby. The wide band gene is carried independently of the white gene.
References
[edit]- ^ Xu, X.; Dong, G. X.; Schmidt-Küntzel, A.; Zhang, X. L.; Zhuang, Y.; Fang, R.; Sun, X.; Hu, X.S.; Zhang, T. Y.; Yang, H. D.; Zhang, D. L.; Marker, L.; Jiang, Z.-F.; Li, R.; Luo, S.-J. (2017). "The genetics of tiger pelage color variations" (PDF). Cell Research. 27 (7): 954–957. doi:10.1038/cr.2017.32. PMC 5518981. PMID 28281538.
- ^ L. A. K. Singh (2000). "Colour aberration in tiger: its biological and conservation implications. Summary of Talk at National Seminar "Tiger Tiger", 4–5 August 2000, Indian Museum, Calcutta". Academia.edu.
- ^ Sarah Hartwell. "Mutant big cats - Golden tigers". messybeast.com.
- ^ "Annotated chart, Bhim and Indira's lines & Longleat lines". messybeast.com.
External links
[edit]Golden tiger
View on GrokipediaDescription and characteristics
Physical appearance
The golden tiger exhibits a distinctive light fawn or straw-colored coat, featuring pale yellow tones and significantly reduced black pigmentation compared to typical tiger variants. Its fur displays faint, cinnamon-colored stripes that are narrower and less defined, often resembling tabby markings rather than the prominent, solid lines seen in standard specimens. This coloration results in a softer, more blended appearance overall, with the stripes sometimes fading into subtle spots or broader bands.[1] In contrast to normal Bengal tigers, which have bold black stripes on a vibrant orange background that fully encircle the body for optimal pattern disruption, golden tigers possess broader, lighter red-brown stripes that do not completely close, producing a characteristic "strawberry" or "tabby" effect. The underbelly and facial regions are typically cream-colored with minimal markings, enhancing the overall paler aesthetic and making the animal stand out more distinctly in varied lighting conditions. These visual traits are evident in both captive and rare wild observations, such as the strawberry-blonde striped individual documented in India's Kaziranga National Park.[5] Shades of the golden morph can vary from pale gold to slightly deeper amber hues, potentially influenced by factors like age and environmental lighting, though individual examples consistently show the reduced striping intensity. Regarding size and build, golden tigers are structurally identical to their Bengal counterparts, with adult males reaching up to 220 kg (480 lbs) and females up to 130 kg (286 lbs), maintaining the same powerful, muscular frame adapted for ambush predation.[6]Genetic basis
The golden tiger coloration arises from an autosomal recessive mutation in the CORIN gene, specifically a missense variant (c.1759C>T, p.H587Y), which impairs the protein's function in degrading agouti signaling protein (ASIP). This leads to prolonged pheomelanin production and wider agouti bands in the hair shafts, resulting in a lighter golden base coat and diluted, reddish-brown stripes instead of the typical black pigmentation.[7] The wideband mutation follows a standard autosomal recessive inheritance pattern, requiring homozygosity (wb/wb) for expression; heterozygous carriers (Wb/wb) appear as normal orange tigers. For offspring to exhibit the golden phenotype, both parents must carry at least one copy of the recessive allele. In matings between two heterozygous parents (Wb/wb × Wb/wb), the probability of producing a golden tiger is 25%, as illustrated by the following Punnett square:| Wb | wb | |
|---|---|---|
| Wb | Wb/Wb (orange) | Wb/wb (orange) |
| wb | Wb/wb (orange) | wb/wb (golden) |
