Inherited traits are passed down through an animal's genetic code which is found in the animal's DNA—a long molecule that is present in every cell in the body. The DNA contains thousands of genes. A gene is a specific DNA sequence that leads to the expression of an inherited characteristic. For example, there are genes that determine eye color, coat color, and other body characteristics.
And while we're used to, for example, cats with 18 toes and puppies with 2 ears, sometimes an animal's genes decide to play a trick on us, and it comes to this world with more (or less!) of these features. Continue scrolling and take a look at this Bored Panda list, compiled to show you what genetic surprises some of our beloved creatures possess!
#25 I Drove Over An Hour One Way To Pick Up My Purrito With Extra Beans From A Shelter In The Middle Of Nowhere. Meet Zula
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274points
#30 Our Little Ginger Polydactyl Kitten
We rescued him and his calico sister from under a neighbour's deck when they were ~2.5 weeks old. We had to bottle feed them at first, and now they're eating machines. And super playful and healthy!
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249points
#31 At Work Today We Literally Had A Mutant Cat Come Through... Extra Canine Tooth, Strongly Rooted
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246points
#35 Friend's Cat Has Black Chin, So It Always Looks Surprised. It's Also A Polydactyl And Had Thumbs
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239points
#36 My New Love! She's A Polydactyl She Has 6 Toes On Each Foot! Any Names?
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238points
#38 This Is Migi, Our Polydactyl 6-Year-Old Cat
Adopted another older, shy girl from the shelter. When we met her, she looked sad, wasn’t food motivated and poor girl still needs some dental work done.
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222points
#39 Skippy’s Toes. He Was A Kitten I Fostered Last Year Who Had Radial Hypoplasia And A Lot Of Toes
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218points
