Fur is a defining characteristic of mammals, coming in a wide variety of colors and patterns—thanks to a world-first study, we now know which genes make a marsupial's coat black or gray.

Most of the 2,500 to 3,000 wolves in Poland are gray with red or black accents. Black fur comes from a genetic mutation that was likely in domesticated dogs thousands of years ago.

Thanks to melanosome analysis, researchers discovered that the animal had dark grey-brown fur all over. Because of this, they ...

Most of the 2,500 to 3,000 wolves in Poland are gray with red or black accents. Black fur comes from a genetic mutation that was likely in domesticated dogs thousands of years ago.

The stunning cat fur patterns are not just for elegance but also help tell us things about the feline evolutionary past and ... often white and some other simple color such as black, gray, or orange.