What you're looking at is a mouse afflicted with the 'rhino' mutant gene(s). It is a variant on the more comman hairless variety. It's a nasty condition to have. I'm not savvy enough with the scientific terms used in the articles about this mutation, but beyond being hairless, these creatures develop long nails, cysts, glandular problems and a series of skin disorders (obviously).
If there are any biologists our there that can distill the scientific reports into layman's terms, I would be much obliged.
Thanks for the photo, Teresa.
Dec 18, 2007
Rhino Mouse
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10 comments:
someone will want to breed them and make them pets.
Sadly, you might be right.
looks like a small brain with a face and tail
Very ugly....
Why are hairless animals always so wrinkly?
Poor mouse.
Poor thing. I want to knit it a sweater.
I would want one, but the whole "woefully unhealthy" thing is kind of a turnoff in a pet.
It's kind cute, in a really ugly kind of way.
Thinking about the description of the mouse's physical problems, it strikes me that what we have here is a lethal case of acne. Poor things!
We should start the knitting sweaters for hairless, lumpy mice association.
Oh nooo, poor mousie! It's pretty horrible looking, but for some reason it's triggering some maternal instincts in me...
There are hairless mice that do not have the same glandular problems as Rhino mice, because not every hairless mutation is the same.
I know guinea pigs actually have 2 different kinds of hairless mutation (Baldwin and Skinny Pig) and neither mutation causes problem.
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