エジプト神話にでも出てきそうなオーラです。詳細は以下から。

タンザニアのAsilia Namiri Plains Campでイギリス人写真家のGeorge Turnerさんが全身が漆黒の毛に覆われたサーバルキャットを発見、激写しました。

https://www.instagram.com/p/B3-MwZWAQ-3/

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The black serval. Can’t describe how mind-blowing this was… and still is.⁣ ⁣ For context, even seeing a “normal” serval is tough. They’re shy, secretive cats that tend to live in tall grasses — the perfect combination for staying unnoticed. Every time I’ve been privileged enough to see them, my heart skips a beat. ⁣ ⁣ Melanism (increased development of the dark-coloured pigment melanin in skin/hair) in servals primarily occurs in East Africa, particularly in the highland regions over 2000m, which is what makes this sighting particularly special. ⁣ ⁣ At around 1000m, the Namiri Plains, Tanzania, are considerably “lower” than the normal altitude were melanism is more prevalent. It’s likely this particular serval travelled from the nearby – and much higher – Ngorongoro Crater and established a new territory. ⁣ ⁣ Nobody *really* knows why melanism occurs in servals. Some think the increased altitude (and forested habitat that comes with it) reduces exposure to daylight, encouraging melanism. ⁣ ⁣ There’s no guarantee that “Manja” (named after the guide at @asiliaafrica who first spotted him), should he find a mate, will produce melanistic kittens. As melanism is carried by a recessive gene, it could be years before any begin appearing in the area. The hope, for now, is that he continues to flourish in the grasslands and build on his territory. Also, what serval could resist those charming good looks?!⁣ ⁣ [D5, 500mm f/4]

George Turner(@georgetheexplorer)がシェアした投稿 – 2019年10月月23日午後12時07分PDT

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某アニメ番組のおかげで日本では非常にメジャーになったサーバルキャット、通常は黄色や黄褐色の体毛にヒョウのような小さな黒い斑点模様をしています。

この個体は先天的にメラニン色素が過剰に形成される「メラニズム」によってこのように全身を漆黒の体毛に覆われていると考えられるとのこと。

しなやかな毛並みと闇のような美しい黒い体毛に神々しさすら漂わせるこのサーバルキャットはManjaと名付けられました。

基本的には用心深く人前に滅多に姿を現さないサーバルキャットですが、再び人類と見えることはあるのでしょうか。