Oriental bicolour

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/oriental-bicolour

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Felis catus
2. What is the coat pattern mechanism?White spotting gene (S locus) inhibits melanocyte migration, creating white patches
3. What is an Oriental Bicolour cat?An Oriental Bicolour is a cat that looks like a regular Oriental cat but has white patches on its fur.
4. Why do Oriental Bicolour cats have white spots?The white spots come from a gene called the S gene that stops pigment cells from filling in some parts of the coat while the cat is developing.

Melanocytes: Cells in the skin responsible for producing pigment, which determines coat color.
Phenotype: The observable physical characteristics of an organism, resulting from its genotype and environment.
Autosomal gene: A gene located on a non-sex chromosome, meaning its inheritance is not linked to gender.