American black bears are evolving to have cinnamon-colored coats, study finds

By Jennifer Nalewicki published about 16 hours ago
For the past 9,000 years, American black bears have slowly been turning red due to a genetic variant.



An American black bear stands on a rock.

Some American black bears have evolved to have a cinnamon-colored coat. (Image credit: Fluid Media Factory via Getty Images)
Some American black bears in the western United States have evolved to have cinnamon-colored fur. The new hue is likely due to a genetic variant similar to one that causes albinism in humans, a new study finds.

Researchers from the United States and Japan analyzed DNA samples from 151 American black bears (Ursus americanus) across the United States and Canada and found that those residing in western states such as Nevada, Arizona and Idaho were more likely to exhibit reddish-colored coats than the black fur for which the medium-size bears are named.

The researchers identified a mutation known as R153C in a gene called tyrosinase-related protein 1 (TYRP1), which causes an alteration in the coat's pigmentation that makes its fur the same color as a copper penny.

"TYRP1 is a known pigmentation gene in the pathway in the precursor molecules that ultimately produces either eumelanin (black or brown pigment) or pheomelanin (red or yellow pigment)," Emily Puckett(opens in new tab), the study's lead author and an assistant professor in biological sciences at The University of Memphis in Tennessee told Live Science. "What it's doing is changing the amino-acid sequence of that gene."

More:
https://www.livescience.com/cinnamon-bears-black-bears-genetic-variant