6 Animals That Are Naturally Goth
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 9 июн 2024
- When you think of black animals, you probably think of a black cat, or a black panther. But did you know there are plenty of other "naturally goth" animals in nature? Join Stefan Chin and learn about these amazing melanistic animals, and check out their gothic looks in this episode of SciShow!
SciShow has a spinoff podcast! It's called SciShow Tangents. Check it out at www.scishowtangents.org
----------
Support SciShow by becoming a patron on Patreon: / scishow
----------
Huge thanks go to the following Patreon supporters for helping us keep SciShow free for everyone forever:
Bd_Tmprd, Harrison Mills, Jeffrey Mckishen, James Knight, Christoph Schwanke, Jacob, Matt Curls, Sam Buck, Christopher R Boucher, Eric Jensen, Lehel Kovacs, Adam Brainard, Greg, Ash, Sam Lutfi, Piya Shedden, Scott Satovsky Jr, Charles Southerland, charles george, Alex Hackman, Chris Peters, Kevin Bealer
----------
Looking for SciShow elsewhere on the internet?
Facebook: / scishow
Twitter: / scishow
Tumblr: / scishow
Instagram: / thescishow
----------
Sources:
Pygmy Grasshoppers
doi.org/10.1038/srep22122
doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2003.0...
doi.org/10.1007/s00442-007-08...
doi.org/10.1111/j.1558-5646.2...
doi.org/10.1002/ece3.338
Black “Panthers”
doi.org/10.1016/S0960-9822(03...
doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone....
doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone....
doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone....
doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7998.2...
doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2012...
Gray Wolves
doi.org/10.1126%2Fscience.116...
doi.org/10.1126%2Fscience.114...
doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msy031
doi.org/10.1007/s10344-013-07...
doi.org/10.1093/jhered/esu024
doi.org/10.1126/science.1209441
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26988...
Hornworms
doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-63...
doi.org/10.1126/science.1118888
doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone....
doi.org/10.1016/j.ibmb.2009.0...
doi.org/10.1126/science.311.5...
Ayam Cemani
doi.org/10.1371%2Fjournal.pon...
doi.org/10.1534/genetics.111....
doi.org/10.1186/s40104-018-02...
doi.org/10.25226/bboc.v137i1....
If a black cat crosses your path, you should pet it.
agreed. Black cats are adorable, especially in kitten form
Also, countries with cultures from Britain (UK, Canada, Australia, etc.) the superstition is that black cats *protect us* from bad luck especially if we pet them. And the two versions of the superstition used to be two halves of a whole: Black cats (or rabbits -- shall we just say "melanistic fluff beasts'?) are companions to the goddess of roads. So if a cat is walking beside you, that's a sign you're headed for something good. And if a black cat crosses your path, it's a warning you're headed for danger. So blaming a black cat for bad luck like like blaming a detour sign for car accidents...
I'll pet _any_ cat that crosses my path, assuming it's willing.
Unless it's my parents' black cat that hates me, and won't let me pet him. :(
I’ll pet the chicken first
When a black cat crosses your path, give them some cuddles and food. They deserve as much love as other cats.
Screw cuddles, I'm running for my life😂
If a black cat crosses your path it is going somewhere.
@@kevinconrad6156 It is more dangerous if it just lays there and you trip over it.
You forgot "and an instagram account"
@@greenredblue instagram.com/merlin.le.minet
9:52 I can't blame people for selectively breeding black chickens.
I like goth chicks too.
Megablack chickens are indeed awesome but I still prefer that one that looks like walking line art.
Glenn Griffon ?
You deserve a drum roll !!
@@bluesap7318
i.imgur.com/LIjdYG3.jpg
👉🏻😏👉🏻
👈🏻😏👈🏻
oh, it's all coming together
This is just nature saving ROM space by swapping the palette to give more fauna diversity instead of coming up with new sprites.
One day I'll be smart enough to understand jokes like these.
@@F1ll1nTh3Blanks look up teir zoo.
@@AaronShenghao *tier zoo
Do cuttlefish use palette cycling ?
like shiny pokémon but for real life
A black cat is like a tiny black leopard. So cute!
Ours is. We even named him T'Challa
It his name T'chala?
Yibambe!
@@davidozab2753 👎
My "black cats" have always had a noticable tabby pattern in their fur, with the stripes being slightly darker than the rest. They've also had their base coats turn more brown while the markings stay black as they've aged.
And let’s not forget the gothiest of goth animals out there: black bats! 🦇
@LagiNaLangAko23 I am BATMAN!!!!!!
bella lugosis dead
Black bats are also melanistic. Normally, bats are some shade of brown or grey. (Jan Griffiths).
Doorpamine: "I see a green hornworm and want it painted black. "
Haaaaaaaaahahahahaha! Beauty.
"No colors anymore, I want them to turn black."
"I SEE THE GIRLS WALK BY DRESSED IN THEIR SUMMER CLOTHES"
@@nemonomen3340
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes
I see a line of cars and they're all painted black
With flowers and my love, both never to come back...
@@Bones_11
Huh? I don't know what KLM is. Please explain.
rhijulbec1 I’m sorry I didn’t even know I’d done that, it’s been deleted ☺️
Me a punk equestrian: Mom! Can we get a void chicken!?!
You can get void chickens in Stardew Valley ^^
As someone who owns three void chickens, I strongly suggest it.
I can almost guarantee this is the first time in human history the phrases "punk equestrian" and "void chicken" have appeared in the same sentence. Congratulations you trailblazer you
Never thought I'd read this sentence in my life, btw those chickens are expensive
@@TreespeakerOfTheLand how??? void essance?
I love when SciShow makes a list of animals, whatever the arbitrary criterion is.
Same! They're some of the best episodes for sure.
Pro conjugation bro.
@@MaskofAgamemnon Did you just comment to compliment someone on using "they're" correctly?
@@skyem5250 naw, criterion instead of criteria.
@@MaskofAgamemnon Ahh I see. Thanks. It's pluralization though.
This was very cool. Would be cool to do a 'ghost' episode, of Leukesitic animals (white but not albino)
Sorry...white is out this season😲🦇🐃🦍🐭🐇🐁2020
@@B.Mega.D White is coming back this season 🌨❄⛄🌟🎄🥛🍪🤍
Pastel Goth.....
Agree. A lot of people think that all albino animals are all white and they actually arent. A lot of albino birds and reptiles are actually yellow
@@Lichen8404 PASTEL GOTH!!!!!!!
My black cat is the most affectionate cat I’ve ever owned, almost to an annoying degree lol
@Bigfoot almost all of my cats kind of chirp or trill when I wake them up to pet them. The snorting is kind of hit or miss between different cats I have had. I have had quite a few different breeds.
I feel bad for people who don’t know how affectionate cats are! Mine won’t leave me alone!!
Bigfoot Oh yes, she chirps all the time
I don’t know if it’s because he’s getting older or if I’m only just paying attention, but I’ve definitely noticed a lot more white hairs on my black cat. I’ve also been able to see where his markings are when the light catches just right and highlights the brown, similar to the jaguar and the leopards’ spots. It’s nothing special, yeah, but sometimes it’s just really cool to look at and see this whole other look to your pet that you usually never notice. Idk, maybe I’m just weird lol
My 3 house panthers go a bit brown in summer.
One of them just slightly, one over most of her body, and the boy gets faint brown tabby swirls like his tabby mom's pattern.
Don't worry, everyone is weird. If you don't think you are you are weird.
My black cat went more and more brown as he got old. But it was only ever noticeable in the sunlight, until he got super old.
One of the cats I had, I'm sure she had green eyes, but when I saw her again many years later, her eyes were blue. I figured it was simply old age.
We had a cat who was darkest brown. When the sunlight hit at the right angle, you could see her tabby markings, but no one else in the family ever believed me! LOL!
No melanistic snakes? You couldn't have gotten more goth than that.
melanistic bats ^^
Yeah but black mambas are definitely not 'delightfully' goth
@@coldblaze100 Mexican black kings are though ^^
The banded sea krait is amazing. In most of its range, it has black and white stripes. However, around Nouméa, most are melanistic, and don't have white stripes. This is because melanin can bind to toxic heavy metals found at dangerously high levels in the seawater in that region. By shedding their skin, they can remove the heavy metals from their body. This was in a different SciShow episode, but I don't remember which.
@@skyem5250 Oh you're right! It was in the episode about animals that humans have caused to evolve rapidly
I have melanistic squirrels in my neighborhood. They're fun to watch
My hometown has a colony of them in the park by the lake downtown. They're well-acclimated to humans and know where their next meal is coming from if they look cute enough.
So did I when I lived in MI. We always had some black squirrels around. I thought they were cuter than the "regular" ones. (Jan Griffiths).
I noticed that we're getting more episodes hosted by Stefan since Olivia left. Stefan is doing a great job.
Not gunna lie Olivia's voice annoyed me
wait, olivia left??
David Rice nobody asked.
@@sudalie7914
She's a mom now
@@psychotikpaisano wow really? where did she announced it?
One of the coolest cats I've ever had was all black. She was fuckin' adorable and super affectionate, and she never meowed, she only made a beeping sound.
I had a sonar equipped cat, too...hilarious and never gets old !!!
We once had a black cat who quacked. We called her "the duck cat."
Mine squeaks like a mouse.
My cousin's savannah cats got a melanistic kitten many years ago. They kept him and one of his sibling and named him Rahoul, because they found his mother meows changed to that when she was pregnant.
One of my local strays is called "Rusty", not because of her colour, she's black, but because her meow sounds like it needs some oil.
I have a black cat. It is impossible to see him even when its not complete dark. Just less sunlight and a place in shadow and you cant spot him. His fur just eats every photon of light, like this blackest black that exists.
So you have to be cautious, or you will sit on him once in a while ^^
Can confirm; used to own a floofy black cat and often STEPPED on his tail while trying to get to the bathroom at night. Sorry, kitty.
Mhm! I have a black fearal barn cat i'm working on earning the trust of. She is the jumpscare queen and I utterly adore her for it. I just turn around to a pair of eyes staring at me silently waiting for me to give her food and leave.
I love black cats. I have one, and his sister is black and white. He is much bigger and more muscular, so we say he's a baby panther. She was the runt.
my college was super into their "super special" black squirrel population, supposedly it's rare in general but populations that get two or three will basically turn entirely black over a few generations.
sarah lawrence?
@@mariveliza nah, wooster, though it's probably not too uncommon a thing for a school to do tbh. they would sell embroidered socks and ties in the gift shop with them overlaid on top of the gross mustard plaid school color.
In my neighborhood the vast majority of squirrels are black, and have been for at least two decades.
must be a dominant trait
@@watema3381 It's a co-dominant. One of the parents needs to be black ,or carry the gene. (Jan Griffiths).
[06:42] the perfect background image for "Wait a minute! Who got this wolf pregnant???" ❤😂
Also, black cats are very lovable cats. I had three over a 10 year length and they have been very lovable.
Funny enough, my so's parents have 4 black cats (out of 9) and they are the cuddly ones to both people and other cats.
Black cats probably had to be really really nice to survive back in the days when people demonized them. I have 2 black cats and they are incredibly sweet creatures.
Two of the best cats my folks had were all black as well. Just total purr machines xxx
My aunt's is pretty feisty. But then, she was abandoned as a baby. My cousins were always rough too. Not abusive, just rough.
our black cat is like that his name is boo
Those pigmy grasshoppers also come with little "neon" spots (orange, yellow, green) they're really cool to look at.
We have two black cats, who happen to be from the same litter. When my brother comes over, he can't remember their names or tell them apart, so he calls them "Batman" and "Sagittarius A". At all times, "Batman", he says, is the living shadow that just shows up out of nowhere, and "Sagittarius A" is the void that is out there somewhere, but you can't see it.
He is a huge nerd, but it makes perfect sense.
My black kitty is the most loving kitty ever.
josh pittman from your picture he is so cute
Handsome looking kitter
She's definitely a diva.
I can't believe you guys didn't talk about the black cockatoo parrot, they're so cool and so goth!
And they have a bit of red on them as well. Very goth. (Jan Griffiths).
When i see a black cat it is always lucky, as I now have a chance to pet a black cat.
Now do a video on albinism please if you already didn’t
It would be interesting to cross an Albino cat with a Melanistic one
The Ayam Cemani is the Lamborghini of the poultry world. There's also another chicken breed very similar to it called the Kadaknath from India
What's its top speed?
Not entirely relevant, but I have an Ayam Cemani/Red Star mix hen, and she literally is all black apart from a few red feathers around her neck!
Black Cockatoos are scary looking,
Svart Hona is another fibro melanistic chicken breed. Silkies have the dark skin and insides, but they don't always have dark feathers.
Both are same and expensive than regular(normal) ones.
This segment was awesome. The title was awesome. Y'all are awesome.
Stefan’s shirt is quite melanistic. Eumelanistic, to be specific.
Brilliant Sir, 😁 😁 😁
@@rhijulbec1 🍸
@@RustyTube
Yummy! TY
Omg
Bruh
Some weeks ago, we made a video on fig wasps and you have to believe us: they're probably the very definition of goth. Not only are they entirely black but their reproduction cycle within the figs is bizarre yet extremely cool.
Fig wasps are so goth they make figs a non vegan fruit. talk about going against the mainstream... stick it to the man!
*edit, apparently the "are figs vegan" thing is an ongoing debate, guess people get to decide for themselves on this one.
Just went check the channel, TM. Congrats on the Brazil related content, things have never been so dire for our flora in Amazonia and the Pantanal 😥🔥
@@brassen Thanks Silvarillion!
You're totally right, the situation in the Pantanal is a disaster. We're currently working on a new story on exactly this topic! Stay tuned!
@@CJ_McK sounds like something I need to look up, LOL! I like reading odd, scientific facts about the world - hence me being here on this video! 😄
Ayam Cemani is so gorgeous but sadly, it's has been more and more difficult to find someone farming them even here in Indonesia.
I always picture animals wearing jeans when they're talking about animal genes
A black cat crosses my path every day, because I live with one ❤️
As someone who works in cat rescue, self proclaimed black cat lovers have been some of the most delightful and memorable adopters I've ever met. They are so passionate about all cats and love rooting for the "undercat"
*Nobody:*
*Goth Chicken:* _I would go out tonight, but I haven't got a stitch to wear!_
Do love black cats! As a child growing up my parents always had a black queen and she had black kittens. Know she must have had other colours as well but just don't recall any. Just the beautiful black coats. Now black cats are very hard to find.
watching this before going to bed is gonna impact my night in a delightful way
Here showing LOVE for the SciShow channel I've been watching for many of years so thank you for another great video once again. Thank You and have a blessed day
love love this list!! that pronounciation of ayam cemani tho... 😬😬😬
That shirt is literally your aesthetic. You look awesome in a grandad collar! I stan a fashion icon geek! ❤️
I absolutely love every black cat Ive ever owned and aside from a tortie, Ive owned only black cats ;-)
Soooo cuuuute! Thanks for this! My black cat loved seeing herself on tv 😁
That was a tremendously informative episode. Really packed with great digestible information. Great topic too.
In Malay language (Malaysian and Indonesian, and others) and in other closely-related languages in Malaysia, Southern Thailand, Indonesia, and Brunei, a "c" makes a /ch/ sound. Therefore it is /A-Yam-Che-Ma-Ni/ for "ayam cemani", and the letter "e" makes like a schwa sound. ✌😁
- Btw, I don't know and don't speak any of the Malayic languages and other closely-related languages, but I know some few things even if I live in the Philippines.
I really enjoyed this one, thank you!
Black panther (house cat) kitties with golden eyes are awesome! I have two, 13 years old, Abra and Cadabra, and a 6 year old marble tabby, Houdini.
9:07 I hatched one, and she was crazy! She would jump and sit on my head, but my god I loved her.
I had a good time today watching scads of ravens cavorting.
When I was little we had a black cat, all black, no white whatsoever. Whenever I came downstairs in the morning I was scared I would stand on him before I got to the light switch (which for some reason was almost 2 meters from the stairs).
Amazing as always.
i needed this, thank you 🖤
Delightfully goth - that's a phrase I wouldn't expect.
A black cat crosses my path every day. I own one :)
In fact every cat that I personally have owned, have been pure black and they've all found me. Riding my bike to a friends house when i was a kid, the first black kitten found me. He was in a drainage ditch along the road. Not by any houses or anything, and all covered on burrs. The one i have now was from the farm i work at. A bunch of wild barn cats that always hiss and run away from you. I heard a kitten meowing once, went and found it expecting it to run away, but it ran To me instead. Then started following me all around the farm. Tiny little kitten, trying to get through 3 foot tall wet grass to follow me.. ya, he wanted to be with me. So i brought him home and he's my Sam(Meow) Jackson. since he's got an attitude sometimes and all, lol. Ya.. I think black cats are my spirit animal.
What? No mention of black squirrels?!
Ah yes, my spirit animals
Unless you’re from a certain few indigenous groups, you don’t have a spirit animal.
Did you know "spirit animals", "animal guides", "ancestor spirits", "Great animal spirits" exist outside of indigenous groups? Do you know what daemon are? Kitsune? Tanuki?
In a world with over 4000 religions all speaking nonsense, where all are wrong and none are right, I guarantee you that I'm free to pick and choose my beliefs based on my own moral code. If I want to appropriate an aspect, that is my right to do so. Literally every aspect of every culture has been appropriated in some form. It's how societies evolve.
You know what would really help indigenous populations a lot more than your white knight pc crap? Attacking our systemic poverty that is keeping EVERYONE down, no matter what their race is. The poverty rate on reservations is 28.4 percent. About 36 percent of families with children are below the poverty line. You whining about cultural appropriation isn't helping anyone and it's only serving to make yourself feel like a better person.
PaleGhost69 bro, what about what I said implied that I don’t care about oppressive colonial capitalism. Just because I’m against cultural appropriation, doesn’t mean I think it’s the single worst thing happening to indigenous people.
@@aemuth8235 The fact that you think cultural appropriation is a problem at all shows that you care more about that than our oppressive capitalist system. Cultural appropriation is evolution at work. Complaining about cultural appropriation is just as bad as the old white people in the 1920s who complained about their kids getting into jazz music. It's the same pair of shoes on different feet. Those kids culturally appropriated that jazz music. That appropriation became the source of our biggest music genres today I.e. Rap, Hip hop, rock, techno. Without cultural appropriation we would have monoculture societies where everyone is segregated into their own cultures. Arguing against cultural appropriation is literally segregationist.
PaleGhost69 cultural appropriation is literally a function of capitalist imperialism
Never got all those superstitions regarding black animals - our black poodle is one of the best things that ever came into my life 🥰
9:24 "...Cadillac. Yeah, the bird's a time bomb!"
🤘
Melanin poppin’ 😍🖤✨
There is an unusually high population of black squirrels in my neighborhood, and they're adorable.
Every spring, I used to see one black baby rabbit, in the same place. So I guess, every year, the same mother rabbit was popping out one black kit.
Time to see how my favorite channel butchers goth culture adorably
That black chicken was featured in a cooking anime which is where I learned about it.
R.I.P. T'Challa
A species with varied color patterns can exploit a wider variety of ecological niches and better adapt to changing conditions. If daylight prey gets scarcer in some place, the light-colored cars may thin out or move elsewhere, but black cats can stay by surviving on the night catch.
We have an all black (no white spot) neutered house cat which we call our House Panther, which is a big baby sweetheart of a spoiled brat. I have an affinity for Black Cats, I've found most of them to be quite affectionate, and there's never been any animal that has suffered for no real reason more than Black Cats.
I think the most helpful thing I learned from this video is the "Loss of function = Recessive" and "If Present = Dominant"
That black leopard was absolutely beautiful.
I've seen more and more black squirrels in my neighborhood lately
I would have loved to hear more about melanism in squirrels. Where I live, you're much more likely to see a black squirrel than a grey one.
Had a pure black Belgium/Wolf mix....dude was big as hell with yellow eyes and just simply badass
9:21 in this video, it seems that Ayam Cemani is entirely black, but there are 3 things of Ayam Cemani that is not black,... the blood is red, the tongue is grey or white, and the egg is just like regular chicken
I always wanted a black panther. Well, we now have a black house panther.
A few years back, we had some black chickens -- not Ayum Cemanis (though we would like to get some,) but silkies.
Silkies have black flesh and bones, though the feathers (which look like fur) come in a variety of colors. I have been told that black flesh chickens were bred to be delicacies. Hey, if you like to eat 100 year old duck eggs or balut, why not drumsticks that look bruised?
There are two melanistic squirrels in Harvard Yard
5:45 jesus that's a badass looking wolf
I saw a black leopard once fairly close up. When the sun was shining on them, you could still see their spots, which was rather interesting.
The grasshoppers around my house are completely jet black (and there has been no recent forest fires). I know they are black because my cat keeps bringing them into my room where they then like to hide under the floorboards and chirp 24/7 until I can finally catch them and toss them outside again. In a group, outside, they sound awesome. When it's just one or two and their chirps reverberate off all the hard surfaces in my room though it's surprisingly loud (hurray for headphones).
I think those might be crickets. AFAIK, crickets are always black.
@@calamityjean1525 maybe, I'm not sure how to tell them apart honestly.
@@zachcrawford5 Yeah, neither am I, except that crickets are generally smaller.
My little black cat Midnight is a sweetie
Nice vid! Also, check out Pesquet's parrots. They've a comb of black and red feathers and are extremely cool.
When a black stray cat moved into my yard, I started feeding it. I hope I can earn its trust soon, coz its SO FREAKING CUTE
Excellent
When a black cat crosses the street to visit you, pop in that old Bauhaus vinyl, pour some vine and catnip, watch The Hunger and light some candles. You and your four-legged goth friend can then discuss wether Sisters of Mercy is goth or not all night until you both pass out in the morning.
best scishow video
Perfect October video 🎃
Can you guys do a video about the new study that says Crows might be conscious??
Can confirm, black cats are very good at camouflage. I have two mini-panthers, and they are amazing at hiding. If they tuck themselves into a shadow they basically turn invisible.
Yep.
My 3 are just invisible at night.
Although my ginger boy is perfectly camouflaged on laminate flooring and dead grass.
This explains everything!
The Cure had a huge hit with Love Cats.
My favorite Halloween video ever, & haven't even finished watching it. 🕷🕸🕸
I had a hyper melinistic guinea pig her. Her two siblings were too. What's really cool is that her mom was albino and her dad was just a light brown dude.
Albinism as well as melanistic are recessive genes.
Black tabby was the original color of the ancestor of the now house cat. But there are several tabby genes and also a factor that makes sure the tabby genes are visible. To put it simple, 3 major genes play a role, the gene to show what type of tabby pattern (that is mackerel or blotched), the gene that makes the pattern visible (dominant, so if one gene is carried the cat will be tabby) or recessive for a solid and third a gene that shows the tabby pattern full (also dominant) or partly and in partly you get spots. In cats color is also sex-linked. Female is XX and male is XY, color (the basics) is only on the X so that is why females can be torties, a red X and a black X. But in a XXY it is possible to have a tortie male (infertile). Male cats always inherit the color of mom, girls get one of both parents.
If 2 black tabby cats who both carry the recessive form of that solid gene you can get fully solid black cats.
The white markings on the feet and face, inhibitor gene for silver, dilution for blue etc is carried on other genes.
I guess they are our version of "shiny" pokemon
Omg loving this 🙃😊
So wait, those chickens make black nuggets? Metal!
Cool episode. Fun fact about wolves and how they are named: they are named for the color of their undercoat, not the coloration of their upper layer of fur. That upper layer of fur, called guard hairs, can be many different colors, but the softer, insulating undercoat is almost always grey to white in color. Same thing for red wolves. Red wolves have a red to light brown undercoat
Cats with the color called Smoke are the same. White undercoat, with dark guard hairs. The undercoat can be seen best when the cat is moving. I showed a Black Smoke Persian neuter for a friend, and he was spectacular. His name was Cumulonimbus, but was called Storm. His coat was immense. (Jan Griffiths).
I never knew of black leopards! :o cool, thanks, SciShow!
A box full of black kittens will turn anything goth. Starting from your heart.
Let's see that Goth dance
I was intrigued by the dopamine/melanin connection in hornworms. They're super far away species-wise in relation to humans but I hope some smart scientist is researching this to see if we can learn more about how to fight depression.
Maybe it would be possible to spray dopamine on hornworm-infested plants and make the hornworms turn black in hot weather when they would normally be green. Then they would overheat and die, or be caught more easily by birds.
@@calamityjean1525 Cool idea! I live in a hot area so I've never seen a black hornworm. Now that it's getting cooler and wetter my tomatoes are making a second crop, but the fall/winter birds are showing up. Doubt a black worm could survive the robins. Plus I've seen anoles take down tomato worms almost as big as they are. Might be that it's the lizards that keep black worms down.
At least half of the squirrels in my area if not more are melanistic, though no one seems to be sure why exactly they do so well here. They're pretty cool too look at, though. Most people call them ninja squirrels. Lol
That chicken is actually goth to the bone^^