Zebra Finches (IMAGE)
Caption
Male (left) and female (right) zebra finches. The orange feathers displayed by the male are colored by the pigment pheomelanin, which is also present in human skin and red hair. Pheomelanin is associated with an increased risk of melanoma, but also exerts a beneficial physiological function consisting in the avoidance of toxicity that an excess of the amino acid cysteine in the diet may cause. Female zebra finches, which do not produce pheomelanin like males, experience cellular damage when exposed to high dietary levels of cysteine.
Credit
Ismael Galván
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