Colour Distribution in the Fur Shaft (C Series)

The c-series controls the amount if pigment produced in the hair shaft.  Pigment is the agent which colours the fur shafts, the claws and the eyes of the rabbit.  There are two kinds of pigment which colour the coats of Dwarfs: eumelanin, which produces black pigment ( pronounced "you MELL ah nin") and paeomelanin, which produces yellow pigment ("FAY oh MELL ah nin").  Every colour we see in the coats of Netherland Dwarfs, regardless of variety, is created by eumelanin and phaeomelanin.  For the purpose of this study of the c-series, we will refer to eumelanin as 'black pigment' and phaeomelanin as 'yellow pigment'.  The great range of varieties we have available is mainly due to how these two kinds of pigment are controlled in the fur shaft.

The c-series alleles, along with the corresponding number of units of black pigment and yellow pigment produced in the fur shaft is shown in the ladder of dominance below:                                              

Beginning at the top of the ladder, we have the total number of units of both black and yellow pigment that are present in the fur shaft.  As we move down the ladder, we notice a declining amount of black and yellow pigment produced in the fur shaft with each c-allele, until no pigment whatsoever is produced at the albino allele.

Each section of the C series has it's own page.

Full Colour C

Dark Chinchilla cchd

Light Chinchilla cchl

Himalayan ch   

Albino c

the basic patterns

the basic colours

non - extension in the fur shaft

back to homepage