What evolutionary discovery was documented through the albino Western Lowland Gorilla named Snowflake?
Answer
First documented evidence of inbreeding
The unique albino Western Lowland Gorilla known as Snowflake served as a crucial source of genetic insight into the social history of the subspecies. Genetic analysis performed on Snowflake revealed that the condition was inherited through recessive alleles passed down from both an uncle and a niece who were carriers of the necessary genes. This specific pattern of inheritance provided the very first documented confirmation and evidence that inbreeding, or close-kin mating, had occurred within wild populations of Western Lowland Gorillas.
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