The leucistic colouration is caused by a mutation in an autosomal gene and is recessively inherited.
This colouration is probably, due to the direct effect of the pharmaceuticals and fertilizer industries effluent disposal.
The removal of this colouration is currently the subject of a £2.5 million remedial scheme.
Hume has proposed that this colouration is an artifact of the taxidermy specimens having aged and being exposed to light, which can turn grey and black to brown.
Under this assumption, the observed delay in external colouration could be caused by the same locus in both mutants.
Animals are bright red when alive, this colouration being most pronounced in trunk tissues (Fig. 3e-f).
But what is causing this?
(Two weeks later, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau ATSBB) found the dark colouration was not caused by exposure or fire, but did not rule out a possible link to MH370).
What could be causing this?
This red colouration is used to map the distribution and intensity of defoliation that has taken place that year (current defoliation).
