Melanism

Alright so, you know how some animals have different colors like black and white stripes, or brown feathers? Well, sometimes they can have another color called melanism.

Melanin is a type of pigment that gives color to human skin and other animals as well. Melanism just means that an animal has a lot of melanin, making it really dark. You can think of it like adding more and more chocolate to a cake until it becomes really dark brown.

For example, one of the most famous examples of melanism is the black panther. It’s just a regular panther but it has so much melanin that its fur is all black.

Melanism can also be found in other animals like moths, squirrels, jaguars, and even penguins! It's important to note that melanism doesn't give the animal any special powers or advantages, it’s just a different color.

So, that's basically melanism. It’s just when an animal has a lot of melanin and becomes really dark.