- This article concerns animal color. For the village in England, see Brindle, Lancashire
Brindle is a small village and civil parish of the borough of Chorley, Lancashire, England. It is in the centre of a triangle between Preston, Blackburn, and Chorley. The area has little industry. Brindle is one of the most affluent areas in Lancashire , with average earnings over 33% higher than...
.
Brindle is a
coatCoat, or the nature and quality of a show mammal's pelage, is important to the animal fancy in the judging of the animal, particularly at conformation dog shows, cat shows and horse shows....
coloring pattern in animals, particularly
dogThe dog is a domesticated form of the Gray Wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The domestic dog has been one of the most widely kept working and companion animals in human history...
s,
catThe cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felines and felids, is a small carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
s,
cattleCattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
, crested geckos and, rarely,
horseThe horse is a hoofed mammal, a subspecies of one of seven extant species of the family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
s. It is sometimes described as "tiger striped", although the brindle pattern is more subtle than that of a
tigerThe tiger is a member of the Felidae family; the largest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera. Native to much of eastern and southern Asia, the tiger is an apex predator and an obligate carnivore...
's coat. The streaks of color are usually darker than the base coat, which is often tawny or grayish, although very dark markings can be seen on a coat that is only slightly lighter.
The brindle pattern may also take the place of tan in tricolor coats of some dog breeds (such as
BasenjiThe Basenji is a breed of hunting dog that was bred from stock originating in central Africa. Most of the major kennel clubs in the English-speaking world place the breed in the Hound Group; more specifically, it may be classified as belonging to the sighthound type...
s).
- This article concerns animal color. For the village in England, see Brindle, Lancashire
Brindle is a small village and civil parish of the borough of Chorley, Lancashire, England. It is in the centre of a triangle between Preston, Blackburn, and Chorley. The area has little industry. Brindle is one of the most affluent areas in Lancashire , with average earnings over 33% higher than...
.
Brindle is a
coatCoat, or the nature and quality of a show mammal's pelage, is important to the animal fancy in the judging of the animal, particularly at conformation dog shows, cat shows and horse shows....
coloring pattern in animals, particularly
dogThe dog is a domesticated form of the Gray Wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The domestic dog has been one of the most widely kept working and companion animals in human history...
s,
catThe cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felines and felids, is a small carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
s,
cattleCattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
, crested geckos and, rarely,
horseThe horse is a hoofed mammal, a subspecies of one of seven extant species of the family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
s. It is sometimes described as "tiger striped", although the brindle pattern is more subtle than that of a
tigerThe tiger is a member of the Felidae family; the largest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera. Native to much of eastern and southern Asia, the tiger is an apex predator and an obligate carnivore...
's coat. The streaks of color are usually darker than the base coat, which is often tawny or grayish, although very dark markings can be seen on a coat that is only slightly lighter.
Dogs
The brindle pattern may also take the place of tan in tricolor coats of some dog breeds (such as
BasenjiThe Basenji is a breed of hunting dog that was bred from stock originating in central Africa. Most of the major kennel clubs in the English-speaking world place the breed in the Hound Group; more specifically, it may be classified as belonging to the sighthound type...
s). This coloration looks very similar to tricolor, and can be distinguished only at close range. Dogs of this color are often described as "trindle". It can also occur in combination with
merleMerle is a color combination in dogs’ coats. It is a solid base color with lighter blue/gray or reddish patches, which gives a mottled or uneven speckled effect...
in the points, or as a brindle merle, in breeds such as the
Cardigan Welsh CorgiThe Cardigan Welsh Corgi is one of two separate dog breeds known as Welsh Corgis that originated in Wales, the other being the Pembroke Welsh Corgi. It is one of the oldest herding breeds.-Characteristics:...
, although the latter is not acceptable in the show ring. The "dark" markings are black or the dilutions gray (called blue) or brown (sometimes called red).
Horses
In horses, brindle coloring is extremely rare and may be either caused by or somehow linked to chimerism, resulting in an animal with two sets of
DNADeoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms and some viruses. The main role of DNA molecules is the long-term storage of information...
, with the brindle pattern being an expression of two different sets of
equine coat colorHorses exhibit a diverse array of coat colors and distinctive markings. A specialized vocabulary has evolved to describe them. Color is one of the first things that is noticed about a horse...
genes in one horse. In some horses, the pattern seems to be inherited, indicating that one or more genes are responsible. However some say that there is no evidence that there is an actual gene in the Equine species that causes the Brindle pattern. If there is a gene for brindling in equine, it has not yet been isolated.
It consists of irregular stripes extending vertically over the horse's body, as well as horizontally around the legs. Brindle horses can also have a dorsal stripe. It usually does not affect the head and legs as much as the body, with the heaviest concentrations of brindling being on the neck, shoulders and hindquarters. The coloring has been documented in the past. In the early 1800s at the Zoological Museum of Academy Sciences, a Russian cab horse of brindle coloring was mounted and put on display.
History of Brindle Pattern
The first documented sighting of the brindle pattern was on a Russian cab horse in the 1800s. It was so uncommon and striking that it was later preserved and displayed in the Zoological Museum in Leniningrad, Russia.
Description
The brindling pattern found in horses could be described as stripes that are found along the neck, back, hindquarters, and upper legs. The horse's head is usually a solid color and is not affected by the striping. The brindling pattern has no effect on dark points on horses, such as a bay colored horse. Some brindled colored horses are more eye- catching than others.
With this rare coat pattern there is a base coat that covers the entire body of the horse. This base coat color can be bay, brown, chestnut, palomino, grey, red dun, and grulla. However when these unique colored horses were first documented most were said to have red dun or grulla as a base coat. Over top of the base color is either a lighter or darker color over top giving the appearance of stripes.
The striping pattern of brindled horses is sometimes confused with the striping patterns of dun colored horses. However both are unrelated to each other.
Genetics
The brindling coloration is not kept within one specific breed. In fact many breeds have the capability of fabricating a brindle. For example, Arabians, Tennessee Walking Horses, Thoroughbreds, Paso Finos, Quarter Horses, Warmbloods, Miniature Horses, and even donkeys have been reported to generate the brindling pattern
There is discussion about how the brindle pattern is inherited. Some sources say there is no evidence there is an actual gene that creates the pattern. Other sources argue that the gene is dominant. While some dispute the more than one gene is responsible for producing the striping pattern.
Brindles in Literature
“The man on the PA introduces us—Annemarie Zimmer on Highland Harry, with a commanding lead and yadda yadda yadda—but no one's paying attention because they're staring at Harry. No gasps or murmurs this time, not on day three, but then someone goes and wrecks it because I hear some bastard man say, "Now there goes a horse of a different color," and I know from that one remark that he's missed days one and two and I hate him because I know he feels clever for the remark. But I suppose I'd say it too, since you don't see many or any striped horses out there, and before Harry I never knew such a thing existed, but here he is, and there's no denying that. Not today. Not here.”
"
Jock of the BushveldJock of the Bushveld is a true story by South African author Sir Percy Fitzpatrick. The book tells of Fitzpatrick's travels with his dog, Jock, during the 1880s, when he worked as a storeman, prospector's assistant, journalist and ox-wagon transport-rider in the Bushveld region of the Transvaal...
" was a brindle
Staffordshire Bull TerrierThe Staffordshire Bull Terrier is a medium-sized, short-coated, old-time breed of dog, originally bred for bull baiting...
mix and the companion of Percy Fitzpatrick in their travels around the
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland, while Lesotho is an independent country surrounded by South Africa.Modern...
n veldt in the 1880s. Fitzpatrick later collected tales of their adventures into a popular book of the same name.
Other animals
Brindle coloring exists in
cattleCattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
. For
Crested GeckoThe New Caledonian Crested Gecko, Guichenot's Giant Gecko or Eyelash Gecko, Rhacodactylus ciliatus, is a species of gecko native to southern New Caledonia. This species was thought extinct until it was rediscovered in 1994...
s, the term "brindle" is used to describe an extreme tiger
morphPolymorphism in biology occurs when two or more clearly different phenotypes exist in the same population of a species — in other words, the occurrence of more than one form or morph...
, can be used in conjuncture with any of the morph colors
Etymology and Literature
The word brindle comes from brindled, originally brinded, from an old Scandinavian word. See Wiktionary. The concept occurs in the opening of 'Pied Beauty' (1877) by
Gerard Manley HopkinsGerard Manley Hopkins, S.J. , was an English poet, Roman Catholic convert, and Jesuit priest, whose 20th-century fame established him posthumously among the leading Victorian poets...
, a poem about dappled, streaky, subtly-varied Nature, where he compares 'skies of couple-colour' to a 'brinded cow'.
The opening of Act Four, Scene One of
William ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's preeminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's
MacbethThe Tragedy of Macbeth, commonly just Macbeth, is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
is often thought to refer to a brindled cat because it contains the word brinded:
"Thrice the brinded cat hath mew'd." However, in this context, the word "brinded" means branded, as if with fire. The Elizabethan word for "brindled" is "streaked."
External links