Siamese Cat Heat Map

Point coloration in cats originated in the Siamese and closely related Asian breeds, and is found in many Western-developed modern breeds. It is a form of partial albinism resulting from a mutation that affects tyrosinase, an enzyme involved with melanin production. The mutated enzyme is thermolabile; it fails to work at normal body temperatures, but becomes active in cooler areas of the skin.[1] As a result, dark pigment is limited to the coldest areas of the body, that is, the extremities. Therefore, Siamese cats are literal heat maps of themselves. warm kitty cold kitty

A Siamese cat is stretched out with dark coloring on its cooler extremities—ears, face, paws, and tail—while its warmer torso remains pale. The joke treats the cat as a literal heat map, using the biology of temperature-sensitive pigment to explain its unusual coloring. It is shared as a humorous science meme about Siamese cats and their point coloration. EN: A Siamese cat is stretched out with dark coloring on its cooler extremities—ears, face, paws, and tail—while its warmer torso remains pale. The joke treats the cat as a literal heat map, using the biology of temperature-sensitive pigment to explain its unusual coloring. It is shared as a humorous science meme about Siamese cats and their point coloration.

• @memetutorial / 14976 2021-08-11
• @jeppa420 / 20521 2021-09-08