Notice how the white ones are never truly snow-white, (and neither is the throat patch in regular ones), there's always a hint of yellow even on the palest canaries. I think they're technically albinos. I have no confirmation yet but looks like some mustelids have a very unusual bright yellow/orange pigment which is produced not in the pigment cells, but somewhere else. So even when their melanocytes go crazy or lazy or missing (which would produce white patches/piebaldism/albinism in most mammals), in marten, these areas without eumelanins/phaeomelanins remain yellowish. Toes on "white-toed" marten are usually yellowish, the same goes for the white tail tips. The throat patch color (also a melanin-less spot) is a window into how much of this mystery pigment a specific individual produces.


this one was auctioned at the Ruspushnina banquet in December, I think...




some are more vividly orange, but (if our guess about this pigment is correct) it only reflects how much of this pigment the animal has, the overall mechanism is the same (albinism due to the total tack or total malfunction of melanocytes), if there is no brownish/blackish coloration anywhere on the pelt.

We don't have many muskrats around where I live but there is some variation. I don't know how prevalent these red ones are, I only catch a few as beaver bycatch and I thought the majority were the regular agouti color, like barn rats.

That otter is happy to be visiting with you, Tatiana

Oh yes, T4E's boat. I think I would rather be the cook !

Speaking on canaries, he has trapped some very orange ones also. One of those I have as a nice contrast on my marten hat , in the back. The three very glossy tails show up very well on top of it.