1. Inheritance of coat colour
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2. Inheritance of Coat Colour in Rabbits
Background Coat colour in rabbits is governed by four different alleles. Each allele is responsible for producing a different coat colour: dark grey, Chinchilla, Himalayan, and white. Each rabbit has only two alleles. Study the relationship among the alleles in the table and then complete the lab.

4. Answer: 1. (a) CC, Cch (d) cc Ccch Cc (b) cchcch, cchch, cchc
You Try It
1. List all the possible genotypes for a
(a) dark grey rabbit
(b) Chinchilla rabbit
(c) Himalayan rabbit
(d) white rabbit
Answer:
1. (a) CC, Cch (d) cc
Ccch Cc
(b) cchcch, cchch, cchc
(c) chch, chc

5. 2. Predict the phenotype of a rabbit with the following
genotypes. Explain your answers.
(a) chcch (b) Cch
Answer:
2. (a) chinchilla because cch is dominant to ch
(b) dark grey because C is dominant to all other
alleles

6. 3. Would it be possible to obtain white rabbits if one parent is white and the other is Chinchilla? Explain.
Answer:
3. Yes, only if the chinchilla rabbit is heterozygous with the white allele.
cchc X cc could produce a white bunny

7. 5. A Chinchilla rabbit is mated with a Himalayan
5. A Chinchilla rabbit is mated with a Himalayan. Some of the offspring are white. What are the parents’ genotypes?
5. Both parents are heterozygous for the genotype with a white allele. This is the only
way to get white offspring.
cchc X chc could produce cc = white bunnies.

9. 4. Would it be possible to obtain Chinchilla rabbits if one parent is Himalayan and the other is white? Explain.
4. No, the only possibilities would be Himalayan or
white.
chch or chc = Himalayan no cch allele present.