Scientists have unravelled a long-standing mystery the feline world. Geneticists Kyushu University Japan have discovered why eight of ten ginger cats are male. Dr Hiroyuki Sasaki discovered that a mutation the X chromosome is responsible a previously unknown "orange gene". Dr Sasaki said: "Identifying the gene has been a longtime dream, so it's a joy to have finally cracked it." The gene is responsible pigmentation in the skin animals. Male mammals have an X and Y chromosome. If the male cat's X chromosome has the gene, it will be a ginger. Because a female cat has two X chromosomes, the gene needs to be present both for the cat to be orange. This is less likely to happen.
Dr Sasaki and his colleagues' research has been published the journal "Current Biology". In the study, researchers analysed the DNA 18 cats. Ten of the cats had ginger fur. The researchers found that all the ginger cats had a gene mutation called ARHGAP36. The non-ginger cats did not have this. Dr Sasaki said cat lovers associated fur colour personality traits. He wrote: "Many cat owners swear the idea that different coat colours and patterns are linked with different personalities. There's no scientific evidence this yet, but it's an intriguing idea, and one I'd love to explore further." He said ginger cats may share particular behavioural characteristics because most them are male.
