The four subspecies of Geoffroy’s cat vary considerably in colour variation and size. Unlike most other wild cat species (all other wild cat species, perhaps) black Geofroy’s cats are common. These are called melanistic Geoffroy’s cats. It is due to a dominant autosomal allele. Their normal colour is shown the photograph below being typical of many small wild cat species.

‘Autosomal’ means not a sex chromosome. ‘Dominant’ in this context means an allele with produces the same phenotype (appearance) whether it is paired with an identical allele or not. You can see that some hair strands have white tips. This reminds me of what cat breeders call a ‘grizzled’ coat – silver tips on a melanistic black coat on an F1 Chausie, a jungle cat/domestic cat wildcat hybrid (click to see this cat).

SOME MORE ARTICLES ON THIS SMALL WILD CAT SPECIES:

What does the Geoffroy’s cat eat?

Let's get one point clear at the outset. The name of this cat is "Geoffroy's cat" not "geoffroy cat". I ...
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How do Geoffroy’s cats reproduce?

The earliest recorded age for a captive Geoffroy's cat to reproduce is 18-months-of-age for both males and females (as at ...
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Florida Restaurant and Wildlife Conservation Foundation Join Together to Exploit Exotic Wild Kittens

Carson Springs Wildlife Conservation Foundation have some Geoffroy's cats at their sanctuary. They're based in Florida. They are a not-for-profit ...
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Oncilla mates with Geoffroy’s cat and mated with the pampas cat

The oncilla in the south of Brazil currently mates with Geoffroy’s cat (L. geoffroyi) creating a hybrid, while the oncilla in ...
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Geoffroy’s Cat Facts For Kids

Geoffroy's cat is a species of wild cat. "Species" means a sort or type of wild cat that is different ...
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Geoffroy’s Cat Range

Geoffroy's cat range is set out below (at 2009). The original map is on this page: Geoffroy's cat range. At ...
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Geoffroy’s Cat

The name Geoffroy’s Cat is unusual as it is named after French naturalist, Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, “who identified Geoffroy's Cat ...
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