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Monday 20 March 2017

Spot the Frippet: xanthrochroism.

English doesn't have nearly enough words beginning with an x, so we must celebrate those we have.

Xanthrochroism is a condition found in animals which turns their normal colours yellow or orange,

Like this:

File:Goldfish3.jpg

(this is the wild version:

File:Carassius auratus grandoculis by OpenCage.jpg)

or this:  

Xanthochromistic Argentine horned frog
(That's an Argentinian Horned Frog. They usually look like this:

Regular Argentine horned frog
photos by Grosscha )

Or the budgie on the right:
:

File:Melopsittacus undulatus - albino and lutino.jpg
photo by Jhwodchuck 

English also has the word xanthrochroid, too, but that refers to a race of people who have pale hair and faces.

I worry that xanthrochroid might be an offensive term, but as there doesn't seem to be such a thing as a xanthrochroid race on Earth I can't see that it can be.

It makes one hard to spot, though.

 I think I'll stick with looking out for a goldfish.

Spot the Frippet: xanthrochroism. This word comes from two Greek words, xanthos, which means yellow, and khroia, skin.




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