Genetics is a science that never ceases to surprise and amaze us. And while many of us may not know much about it, it's safe to say that nature is capable of some truly remarkable things. From an entire family with an unprecedented number of fingers to a little boy whose eyes are unlike anything we've seen before, scroll down to see some of the most unique genetic traits out there.
Mom And Son Both Have An Uncommon Form Of Heterochromia
When someone becomes pregnant, one of the biggest curiosities they may have is who the child is going to look like. Sometimes, the genetics from one side can be much stronger than the other, and the child ends up becoming a literal carbon copy of the parent. And that's exactly what happened with this mother and her son.
When her son was born, no one could believe that he had been born with the exact same type of heterochromia she had on her eyes. The condition resulted in a unique combination of swirled blue and black eyes that are definitely unforgettable.
This Girl Has Both Albinism And Heterochromia
What are the chances that a person would be born with two such strong genetic conditions? Well, a girl named Amina Ependieva did, and she couldn't look more unique. Due to her albinism, the amount of melanin pigment in her skin, hair, and eyes is reduced in comparison to others.
And the heterochromia has resulted in her having two eyes of different colors. The combination of both conditions simply makes her look like one of the most unique people in the world.
This Boy Who Was Born With An Unforgettable Birth Mark
Although this condition is rare, you might have seen it in a person or two. The condition is called piebaldism, which is a rare genetic condition in which a person is born without certain cells called melanocytes in a specific part of their skin.
The condition usually results in a white patch appearing on the skin, and is most common on the forehead, resulting in that specific area also having white hair. Due to how sensitive the condition is, it is not recommended that the person dyes that part of the head.
Both Of These Best Buddies Have Vitiligo
Vitiligo is a pretty common condition in which white patches develop on a person's skin. It can happen in varying levels of severity for different people, and it is usually caused by the lack of melanin in certain parts of the skin.
This 8-year-old boy named Carter Blanchard was born with Vitiligo and often felt different from others as he was growing up. But one day, he found his dog twin, little Rowdy, who was also born with vitiligo. Since the first day they met, the two best buddies have been inseparable.
This Person Has A Unique Pattern In Her Eyes
This guy couldn't help but share his wife's eyes online, due to their very unusual pattern. She was born with clear light blue eyes, and while the color is already unique enough, she had a little extra genetic spice added to them.
If you look closely enough, the eyes follow an unusual pattern, which almost resembles a flower. Obviously, the combination of eye color, the pattern, and the stunning sunset light create an incredible picture of this unique trait.
Born With Partial Heterochromia
If heterochromia is already a pretty special condition, just imagine having partial heterochromia in both of one's eyes! This person was actually born with different colors in both of her eyes, a condition that is also known as sectoral heterochromia - an incomplete form of heterochromia.
And the coolest thing is that not only she has different colored eyes, but each of them has a dominant color and a little bit of the other. Her right eye is predominantly brown, while her left eye is predominantly green.
This Girl Was Born With Both Blonde And Brown Hair
We can only imagine how this girl probably has people doubting that she really was born with two different hair colors. Everywhere she goes, people must think it's a fashion statement carefully crafted at the hair salon. So her sister decided to post the unique trait online, sharing a picture of the little girl back in 1989, and another one of recent years.
Somehow, she was born with the perfectly parted patch of blonde hair on her left side, and brown hair on the right side, and there is no doubt that she is totally rocking the look.
This Girl Inherited A Gap In Her Eyebrow
When we think about genetics and hereditary features, we don't particularly think about a possible gap one would have in an eyebrow. But apparently, this girl's family's genes were so strong, that it was impossible to ignore the eyebrow gap that passed from generation to generation.
In this picture, she shows one of her oldest ancestors with the exact same gap on his eyebrow that she was born with. Clearly, certain traits are just meant to be passed on.
A Boy Who Was Born With Cat-Eye Syndrome
This young man from China was born with an extremely rare condition that is widely unknown for most people. Nong Youhiu was born in the South of China, with a condition called cat-eye syndrome. The condition basically allows him to see almost perfectly in the dark.
Interestingly, his eyes also reflect light differently in the night, and it's been reported that he also has enhanced night vision. The only thing is that the syndrome also makes his eyes extremely sensitive to light.
This Baby Was Born With A Ton Of Hair
Now, this is something we don't see every day. Usually, when babies are born, they are either born almost bald or with a tiny bit of hair. Sure, there are exceptions, but most exceptions don't reach this level. Just look at little baby Chanco's head of hair—it's thicker than an adult's.
Everyone was incredibly surprised when they saw that the baby had been born with a full head of hair, but perhaps what was even more surprising, was that the hair just kept on growing. In this picture, the baby is 7 months old. Have you ever seen anything like it?
A Unique Eye Pattern And Sectoral Heterochromia
It seems like interesting eye colors and patterns are more common than we imagined. Take this person for example. They were born with both sectoral heterochromia and with an inexplicable pattern in their eyes that cannot be ignored.
The sectoral heterochromia resulted in a small bit of brown in the uniquely colored green eye, and the pattern resembles something out of this world. Some would even say that the pattern resembles a turtle shell.
This Baby Was Born With An Up Vote Birth Mark
Birthmarks come in all shapes and forms, and while some of them can go unnoticed, others stand out as soon as anyone takes a quick look. That's the case of this small baby, who was born with the most unique birthmark on her head. The birthmark has the perfect shape of an upvote, or an arrow pointing upwards, and her parents cannot stop taking pictures of it in order to share the phenomenon with friends and family.
We wonder if when the baby grows older, her birthmark will simply become invisible under her growing hair. She might look like Rogue from X-Men if it doesn't!
A Guy With A Birthmark On His Eye
BIrthmarks in different parts of the body are pretty common, but did you know that some people have birthmarks in their eyes? Yes, apparently, there is something called an iris nevus, which is basically an eye freckle, and yes, that's a thing.
According to research, it's much more common than we know, since about 6 in 10 people have it. Things such as sun exposure can influence the way this birthmark looks. It kind of looks like an eye tatto!
Born With No Fingerprints
This incredibly rare genetic disorder results in people being born without fingerprints, both in their fingers and toes. The genetic condition is called adermatoglyphia, and it's basically the absence of ridges on a person's skin and fingers. We wonder how much of an effect this has on their everyday lives
Worldwide, there are only five families reported to have the condition, showing just how rare it is. Since you need fingerprints for a lot of things these days, it must be quite a headache to explain their condition over and over again.
This Guy Has The Longest Arms Out There
This guy took to Reddit to share how long his arms are, and it's quite a sight. According to his Reddit post, he has 5'9 arms with a 6'6 wingspan. We wonder if like Michael Phelps, he's also a great swimmer. He has arms the size of a full-length adult! It must be so hard to find long-sleeved shirts and jackets for this guy, we hope it doesn't get too chilly where he lives.
On top of his unique feature, he is also incredibly tall. By the looks of this picture, he has fully embraced his uniqueness and is completely rocking his height and long arms.
This Person Has One Of The Rarest Belly Button Shapes
Here are a few facts that you probably didn't know about the belly button. First of all, there is a huge misconception that the way in which the belly button forms has something to do with the way the umbilical cord was cut at birth, but that's not true. In fact, the shape of belly button a person is going to have is formed while the baby is still in the womb, as it all goes down to how the skin grows around one's cord.
So it doesn't matter if you have an outie belly button like this guy, or an innie like the majority of the population, it all comes down to the time we spend in the womb.
Making The Best Out Of A Unique Condition
There are a lot of skin conditions in the world, and while some are more severe than others, some of them can end up sparking some creativity in a person just like the girl featured in this picture. According to her post, she has a skin condition called dermatographia, which makes her more sensitive than normal, causing it to raise from the tiniest scratches.
And since she has fully embraced it, she sometimes uses it to make patterns on her skin and walks around with them just like a tattoo. In this picture, she drew a pretty flower.
Another Form Of Heterochromia Known As Central Heterochromia
So, we've learned about full heterochromia, sectoral heterochromia, and now, we are faced with just another stunning variation. This girl shared a picture of her unusual eye color, which comes as a result of a condition called central heterochromia, and it's quite something.
Instead of the person having one distinct eye color, they are born with a different eye color around their pupil, while the rest of the eye is a different color. The most common color around the pupil is a shade of gold, like the one shown here.
This Woman Is Her Own Twin
Yes, folks, there is such thing as being one's own twin, and the way it happens it is far from usual. Taylor Muhl, one of the unique carriers of this rare genetic condition explains what it means to be her own twin, or to carry the condition called Chimerism.
According to Muhl: "I have two sets of DNA, two sets of blood and immune cells. The two colors of skin pigmentation on my torso are from my and my twin's two different genetic makeups. My particular case of Chimerism is linked to autoimmune disease."
This Entire Family Has 6 Fingers On Each Hand
It's safe to say that this Brazillian family is one of the most unique families in the world, as every member was born with 12 fingers. This happened as a result of a hereditary genetic condition called Polydactyly, which is basically a deformity in which one's hand has extra fingers.
This can happen in three different places in one's hand: in the middle of the hand, which is the least common, next to the thumb, also known as thumb duplication, and the most common one form being next to the pinky.
This Person With No Middle Joints In Their Fingers
Symbrachydactyly is a congenital abnormality, characterized by limb anomalies consisting of brachydactyly, cutaneous syndactyly, and global hypoplasia of the hand or foot. In many cases, bones will be missing from the fingers and some fingers or toes may be missing altogether, it varies from person to person like most conditions on this list.
It isn't thought to be inherited. In some cases, symbrachydactyly is an accompanying defect in a genetic syndrome called Poland syndrome, in which there is an underdevelopment of the chest muscle on one side of the body.
A Boy Rocking His Heterochromia
We have already seen cases of heterochromia a few times in this article, and have gone through a few types of it. But how about what actually causes heterochromia? Apparently, the condition is caused by genetic conditions such as genetic mosaicism, which results in changes in the middle of dividing cells. This can happen to anyone, and it leads up to the formation of the iris in the embryo.
In other cases, heterochromia could come as a result of environmental damage to the eyes or other diseases and medical conditions that result in a change in eye color.
A Person With A Unique Hexagon Vein On Their Wrist
Visible veins are a condition that many people have, and most times, there is nothing to worry about. In fact, according to research, over 25 million Americans have this condition, with symptoms varying. It can be tied to restless leg syndrome and varicose veins.
In this person's case, their visible veins came in the unique shape of a hexagon. These visible veins aren't any cause for concern, and this person is definitely happy to share their uniqueness with the world.
A Birthmark Shaped Like A Potato Right In The Middle Of This Girl's Forehead
Like we said, birthmarks are incredibly common, and they come in all shapes, forms, and shades. For some people, they may come in spots in their body that they can easily hide, while for other people, the birthmark comes as apparent as it is for this girl.
In her post, she shares that for most part of her life she chose to hide the birthmark, which is dark and located right at the center of her forehead. But now that she has learend to embrace and to love it, she has come out of her shell and has even created artistic way to celebrate the brithmark.
An Interesting Eye Condition
Clearly, there are a ton of eye conditions that we have never heard of, and that make people have the coolest eye colors out there. Take this guy for example. He hilariously shared that many people look at his eyes and cannot hide a puzzled expression until he explains what's going on with the color of his eyes.
It does seem like he has some sort of sectoral heterochromia on his right eye, while the left eye is a whole other situation that looks absolutely incredible to us.
Another Unforgettable Birth Mark
Here goes another person who has fully embraced their unique birthmark, which sort of makes us wonder how birthmarks form in the first place. Surprisingly though, to this date, doctors have still not been able to establish the cause of birthmarks, all they know is that they cannot be prevented, and their cause is not related to anything pregnancy related.
While some birthmarks are genetic and may run in the family, others are completely random. The most common types are vascular birthmarks and pigmented birthmarks.
This Girls Has Freckles In Her Iris
This girl with the most unique set of eyes has a condition called iris nevus - a condition characterized by eye freckles usually found on the eye's iris. Believe it or not, around 60% of people in the world have it, and it usually comes as a result of too much exposure to the sun.
They are usually pretty flat and don't pose any medical risk to the person. They are completely different from other forms of more dangerous eye conditions, such as iris melanoma or different masses in the eye.
Vitiligo Caused Half Of Her Eyelashes To Turn White
Vitiligo is another condition that affects a whole bunch of people, and it can come in different severities. Now, the condition can show itself through either light or dark depigmented spots on one's skin, and it can also affect other parts of the body such as the hair.
A person's hair could turn white prematurely, their eyebrows or eyelashes could lose color, or in some cases, it could even affect the color of one's eye retina. Whatever way it decides to show itself, it is absolutely unique in every person.
Blonde And Brunette Hair And Eyelashes
As rare as it is, it is in fact possible for a person to be born with two different hair colors, and in this girl's case, with two different eyelash colors too. Now, we have no idea what the explanation for the fact that her eyebrows remained with one color, but hey, that is the beauty of having an inexplicable condition.
While for some genetic conditions there are very plausible explanations, for others, things just seem to happen, and people end up having the most unique looks ever.
Eyebrow With Moles That Look Like A Piercing
Skin moles can appear anywhere, and they are usually shown in the form of a tiny or big growth on one's skin. They can come in a range of colors, including light, brown, or black. Also, while a person may literally have only one mole on their skin, others have more and are prone to seeing them multiplicate with time.
This person, for example, was so lucky to have had two moles with each of them grown on top of each other, where her eyebrow is placed, making it seem like an eyebrow piercing.
Two Natural Hair Colors From Birth
There is something really unique about having different colored hair naturally. Funny enough, several people spend hours at the hairdresser doing everything they can to nail this unique hairstyle, while other people get to rock it since birth like this girl.
The girl in this picture was born with beautiful curly hair, that perfectly matched her style. While on the right side of her head her hair is brown, on the left side it's blond. If you look closely, you'll realize that her eyebrows also have different colors.
This Baby Inherited Their Dad's Joint Toes
Webbed toes can be a result of a condition called syndactyly, which like most conditions, is manifested in different forms on people. But for some people, it can also appear completely randomly and for no absolutely no reason. On this guy, the condition manifests itself as a pair of webbed toes in each foot, and to his surprise, his son was born with it too.
The tiny baby was indeed born with his little fingers joined together, and when placed right next to the dad's toes the image is simply too cute.
This Baby's Nostrils Look Like Tiny Hearts
When a person is pregnant, it's hard to not constantly wonder what the baby will look like. What color will their hair be, their eyes, what will their hands and feet look like, there is an endless list of questions that one asks in anticipation of the baby's arrival.
But we're pretty sure that no one really wonders "what shape will my baby's nostrils be?" But to this parent's surprise, their baby was indeed born with tiny nostrils that looked exactly like a heart, and literally, no one could handle it.
This Baby Was Randomly Born With A Black Patch of Hair
Just imagine these parents' surprise when they saw their baby's hair growth and one specific spot on it growing with a different color? Both parents are blonde, and so the baby inherited their blonde looks, however, one specific part insists to grow with only black hair.
Obviously, they decided to check it out and to try to understand it as much as possible, but no matter how much they shaved it, the hair kept growing with the same color. They also didn't find any birthmark underneath, so they literally have no explanation for the unique condition.
This Girl Has A Misshaped Iris That Resembles Pacman
Clearly, our eyes are capable of having some of the most inexplicable features. This person was born with a misshapen iris, which only became more apparent with time. She wondered for years whether or not the misshape would change, and the iris or the pupil would eventually change into becoming whole, but that day never came.
At least she didn't have to worry about any medical conditions since the condition didn't have an effect on her vision for 25 years, so it is probable that things will remain that way for the years to come.
This Guy With A Half Orange And Half Brown Beard
When we start thinking that we have probably seen almost everything, this guy comes up rocking one of the coolest beards out there. According to his post on Reddit, his beard grows 1/4 orange and then splits almost at the middle of his chin.
The explanation for it? None. One day, when he decided to fully grow his beard, he suddenly realized that an orange color kept growing and that it even extended all the way up to his bottom lip. We wonder what color his skin is under the orange!
This Person Was Born With Three Fingers
Well, we've seen people born with no joints on their fingers, with extra fingers, with extremely long fingers, and the list keeps going on. Inspired by it, this person also decided to share their condition, which is more unique than most. The person was born with only three fingers in their hand, which don't seem to bend all the way down.
Hopefully, the unique condition still allows them to perform their basic needs with their hand, and we just can't help but think how cool it looks!
This Person's Vitiligo Changes With The Seasons
While for many people Vitiligo may show itself consistently over the years, for other people, the condition either spreads or changes colors with time. For this person, the cool display of vitiligo in their arms changes with the seasons, with it looking a certain color in winter, and a different one in summer.
During the summer months, the vitiligo is more apparent, since the brown part of the skin tans and creates a bigger contrast with the other pigmented areas. The picture this person shared almost looks like a painting of how unique it is.
At Two Months Old, This Baby Has A Full Head Of Hair
Just like baby Chanco from earlier in the article, this little girl was also graced with a full head of hair when she was born. Obviously, the instant surprise from everyone was very present, but eventually, her parents learned to embrace her uniqueness and to celebrate it too.
The baby had so much hair at the age of 2 months old, that her father went on to Reddit to share a little bit about her age and how unique it was that he had a baby with a full head of smooth hair at such a young age.
A Birth Mark Plus Heterochromia
Here's another person who was born with heterochromia, but was also graced with another condition that certainly highlights her uniqueness. Somehow, the girl was born with a birthmark on the left side of her face, which managed to match perfectly with the different colored eyes she is rocking.
If her uniqueness wasn't enough though, she is was also born with red hair, which is becoming increasingly rare these days. Just to put things into perspective, only about 2% of people in the world have red hair.
This Girl Was Born With A Condition Called Coloboma
No doubt that every single one of us will leave this article with a little bit more knowledge about eye and pupil-related conditions. One girl couldn't help but share a close-up picture of her sister's eye, which shows what the condition "coloboma" looks like.
People with it usually have some of the normal tissue around or in the eye missing from the moment they're born. This can result in many things, and in this case, it ended up with a pupil that looks like it's spilling onto the rest of the iris.
Baby Is Born With The Same Freckle As Dad's
Again, it is a matter of chance, and we can't help but find it really impressive to see specific genetic traits passing on from generation to generation for what seems like no apparent reason. Take a look at this baby and his dad for example. Since he was a baby, the dad had these tiny freckles on his leg, which he never thought much of.
But then, when his baby was born, he noticed something interesting on the baby's legs. To his surprise, he had somehow passed on his freckles and his son had inherited it at the exact same spot as him.
This Person Has An Off Center Pupil
If you ever thought about what it would look like for a pupil to not really be at the center, then this is the response to all of your questions. This guy has had an off-center pupil since birth, due to a condition called corectopia. Corectopia basically refers to the displacement of the pupil from its regular central position.
The condition can be associated with a few things, including ectopia lentis or the most common myopia (a really serious case though). In some cases, one can opt for surgical intervention in order to correct the condition.
Baby Teeth At 21
While it is certainly rare that a person would grow all the way to the age of 21 and still have baby teeth, this person is here to show us that yes, it is possible. For most people, all baby teeth have already fallen by the age of 20, but for other people the teeth may last a bit longer than that.
Apparently, evidence has shown that if baby teeth have not fallen until the age of 20, then they will most probably stay there until the person turns 40. Unless a person opts for it to be surgically removed, which is also an option.
This Guy With A Belly Button That Can Be Seen Through His Shirt
There are a few things that can have caused this guy to have a big part of his belly button showing. And while belly button shapes are not set in stone, this guy certainly got one that stands out much more than others.
He doesn't give that much information through his post, but according to research, outer belly buttons usually appear on babies with specific medical conditions that can affect the belly button. Most times, they are not particulalry a result of how they are clamped, or cut at birth.
This Guy Has Six Fingers
Well, this is not the first or the last time that we'll learn about an interesting condition related to fingers in this article. In this picture, this person is showing their rare display of a hand with six fingers, a result of a condition called polydactyly. The condition usually refers to people who have either an extra finger or an extra toe. Interestingly, the term actually derives from the Greek word "poly" which means "many."
While there are different ways in which the syndrome is apparent, most times it comes through as an extra finger located right next to the fifth toe of the hand finger.
You Probably Wouldn't Want To Play Thumb War With This Guy
Yes, folks, the cool and unique finger conditions just keep on coming! Here, we get to see a picture of this young man who has grown to rock a five-inch thumb that has obviously gone viral. He has fully embraced the condition and even put it into perspective by posting pictures of his thumb online next to an iPhone 8 screen and to other random objects.
The condition is actually called brachydactyly or long thumb syndrome and is one of the rarest syndromes out there, so this boy is most definitely unique.
This Newborn Baby Who Was Born With "Fur"
Okay, so the baby wasn't exactly born with fur, he was born with what is known as lanugo hair. During pregnancy, babies develop and grow a sac with amniotic fluid, which serves to protect the baby from other possible dangers in the womb.
This type of hair, lanugo hair, grows in order to protect the baby's skin, while also allowing other protective substances to reach the baby. While this hair usually sheds in the womb, babies can also be born with it, and normally, the hair will eventually shed by itself.
This Guy Was Born With Four Fingers
This person was born with a congenital condition called symbrachydactyly. The unique condition is usually present at birth and is characterized by an anomaly in the hand that mostly affects one single upper limb. In this guy's case, it was one finger missing.
The condition is apparently not hereditary and can be apparent by either a missing finger, a webbed finger, or even a stiff and short one. Everything related to those fingers, including the bones, tendons, and ligaments are equally affected by the condition.