Don't you find it interesting to know more about the animal kingdom?
Recently, I'm having this fascination to know more about animals, what they do, what makes them unique, and what are their incredible features we don't possess as humans.
Yesterday, I saw a post by 
From there, I did some google search and I found that there are other types of swans. It's said that there are many species of swans and the majority of them are extinct. Right now, the known species that still exist are six (6):
The one that we have in our region is the Mute Swan...
While the one that I saw in Lightsplasher's post appears to be the Trumpeter Swan...
Because I was interested to know what makes animal species vary when it comes to how they look. As it turned out, the answer is simple. The variation of features happens because it was inherited by the offspring from their parents. This variation happens over time as the genes were passed on through generations of breeding.
The other factor is caused by the environment in which the animal lives. Animals adapt to their environment for survival which is why wild cats look differently in places where it's warm and humid compared to the ones who live in the Arctic. Also, the kind of diet that the animals consume will affect the way they look and the color of their skin or features.
In the case of birds, a good example of it is the Flamingo. Have you seen a Pink Flamingo? Here's what it looks like:
It's surprising to learn that Flamingos are not born with these amazing bright red/pink-colored feathers. It's acquired from their diet. They consume specific algae that contain a high amount of beta-carotene. They also eat shrimps that eat the same algae. As a result, the high consumption of beta-carotene causes the vibrant pink color on their feathers. The more consumption they have then the more vibrant their feathers get. That's really fascinating.
Of course, we can't simply follow this kind of diet and expect a change in the color of our hair. It doesn't work that way in a single lifetime. The Flamingos have evolved over a long period of time and are well adapted to this kind of diet. Their genes have developed enough and allowed their body to work in this manner. They've been consuming this kind of beta-carotene riched food over many generations until they get into what they are now. It takes many years to develop this kind of skill, and change the color of your body feature-based from your diet.
We, humans, can't simply achieve it in a single lifetime. What we can do is simply admire the amazing beauty of nature and the animal kingdom that lives in it.
I hope you find this post interesting and motivated you to learn more. Until next time :)
