Snow (Lynx, Mink, Sepia) Spotted/Marble
Overview
The snow bengal comes in three variations. The Seal Lynx, Seal Mink, and Seal Sepia. The seal lynx bengal has light blue eyes and a completely white coat with light seal colored markings. The Seal Mink has Aqua colored eyes with a creamy white background with darker markings. The seal sepia has green or yellow eyes and is a light brown with dark brown/black markings. The colors can be a little difficult to tell apart sometimes and that's were genetic testing can come in handy.
Genetics
The genetics behind the snow is very simple. On the C locus of the gene there is a mutation in the enzyme responsible for melanin. What happens is the enzyme fails to function at normal body temperatures but start to function at cooler temps. This leads to the pointed look on the ears, muzzle and tail. You have two genes at play on the C locus. The Burmese(cb) and the Siamese(cs) gene. The Seal lynx bengal is cs/cs genetically. The Seal Sepia is cb/cb. The Mink is a combination of the two, cs/cb. A simple genetic test will help you solve any question if you have issues distinguishing between them. Other recessive colors can cause variation in the snow coat color making it more difficult to distinguish.
Seal Lynx
The snow bengal comes in three variations. The Seal Lynx, Seal Mink, and Seal Sepia. The seal lynx bengal has light blue eyes and a completely white coat with light seal colored markings. The Seal Mink has Aqua colored eyes with a creamy white background with darker markings. The seal sepia has green or yellow eyes and is a light brown with dark brown/black markings. The colors can be a little difficult to tell apart sometimes and that's were genetic testing can come in handy.
Genetics
The genetics behind the snow is very simple. On the C locus of the gene there is a mutation in the enzyme responsible for melanin. What happens is the enzyme fails to function at normal body temperatures but start to function at cooler temps. This leads to the pointed look on the ears, muzzle and tail. You have two genes at play on the C locus. The Burmese(cb) and the Siamese(cs) gene. The Seal lynx bengal is cs/cs genetically. The Seal Sepia is cb/cb. The Mink is a combination of the two, cs/cb. A simple genetic test will help you solve any question if you have issues distinguishing between them. Other recessive colors can cause variation in the snow coat color making it more difficult to distinguish.
Seal Lynx
BarrottsDream Prometheus of Sephora
Frankie of Dreamonbengals
Seal Sepia
Sunshine Rumor of AkeeraBengal(Blue Sky Photography)
Seal Mink
Luna of Bluegrasskatz
Nemera Pugsley (Nemera Photography)