While SpaceX continues to launch civilians into space, we’ve got our own gamut of aliens right here on Earth. Actually, the science community just found a link between Venus and Penguin poop. Pictures also started surfacing of a strange pig-faced shark off the Mediterranean coast not too long ago. That actually leads us right into our next find, Outsiders, and you’ll have to see it to believe it. This pitch-black chicken species is like something out of a Gothic fairy-tale book.
We think this is one chicken the Prince of Darkness, Ozzy Osbourne, would approve of, too. Their wardrobe shares quite a bit in common and he even owned a dog named Chicken at one point.
This Chicken Embodies Heavy Metal
The official name for the Gothic chicken species is the Ayam Cemani. If it were a teenager, it would probably spend a lot of time arguing with its parents. It might even throw out “it’s not a phase, mom.” Turns out, that’s actually true. It’s really not a phase. The bird couldn’t be more pigmented, even if it tried. In fact, National ThGeographic describes it as potentially the “most pigmented creature on earth.”
Head to toe, the chicken is as heavy metal as they come. Or should we say beak to claws? Regardless, the pigment doesn’t stop there. Actually, its insides match exactly what you’re seeing on the outside. That’s right. Bones, feathers, beak, organs, and all. Black, black, black.
The bird is classified as a rare breed and calls Indonesia its home. The odd color sensation comes from an excess pigmentation of the chicken’s tissues. This phenomenon is caused by a genetic condition coined fibromelanosis.
What’s more, scientists have found several other similar species. They are as follows: Sweden’s Bohuslän-Dals svarthöna, Vietnam’s Black H’Mong and the Silkie. Like the Ayam Cemani species, these animals all contain black pigmented internal structures. They continue to be breed for novelty as well as some special ceremonies.
This Jakarta caretaker proudly shows off her rooster from her small, backyard farm:
Black and White
So, on the one hand, you’ve got your goth animals. Well, at the other end of that scale lays the albino ones. Unlike the deeply black chicken, albino animals are lacking in pigment and therefore present as all white. One Texas man recently got the shock of his life when an all-white albino Western Diamondback rattlesnake made itself home on his farm.
The creature was pretty tiny at the time of its capture, only coming in at 8-10 inches long. It marked a really rare and special encounter. From the photos, you can also see it appears to have red eyes. This is a common coloration for those affected by albinism.
Check it out here:
