Each and every animal species on this Earth is unique in its own way. No doubt of it. However, there are a few creatures that truly gained the reputation of the most distinctive in the world. And this chicken is definitely rocking the world of birds with its looking. Meet the Ayam Cemani!
This breathtaking bird is a very rare species of chicken native to Indonesia. Due to its incredible feathers color, it is arguably called one of the most mysterious breeds ever known. But not just its completely black plumage make this chicken the most bizarre bird. Ayam Cemani has every part of its body, completely black, from feathers to feet, its meat, bones and organs as well. All of these are possible due to a rare condition known as fibromelanosis. Apparently, this genetic condition leads to the flow of some extra melanin into the tissue. Although completely harmless for the chicken, the whole process happens in the embryos.
“We have evidence that it is a complex rearrangement in the genome,” Leif Andersson, a geneticist at Uppsala University in Sweden told National Geographic. “The mutation underlying fibromelanosis is very peculiar, so we are sure that it occurred once. That’s what is really fascinating.”
Ayam Cemani used to play a big role into the Javanese folklore since the 12th century. Considered as the bird of the elites, the black chicken was thought to bring wealth and power.
Take a look at the adorable Ayam Cemani, bellow!
h.t: boredpanda