Unusual People And Animals That Share Uncommon Genetic Characteristics

By: Lisa Lee | Last updated: Nov 14, 2023

We all love the fact that we are all different in how we look. We all have unique traits that we may have inherited or are naturally born with. Even identical twins have body features that are different from each other. However, some truly unique people have features that stand out for the whole world to watch in awe. We are talking about unimaginably amazing features from cat eyes to mirror hands to those whose features and conditions got them to places they would otherwise have never reached as well as those who are negatively affected by their unique conditions.

We hope these people realize how much they make the world a more exciting place to live in and enjoy the beauty that is well represented in them. Here are forty unique people with unique genetic body features.

A Woman With The Bluest Eyes

She’s a model with dark skin but the bluest eyes. Her name is Jalicia Nightengale, and she has the iciest blue eyes that one could ever think of.

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Source: @TAMARAWILLIAMS1/ INSTAGRAM

Her dark complexion and blue eyes combine to produce one of the most beautiful faces in the world. Jalicia has previously said that she was bullied as a child because of her unique appearance, but as she got older and began modeling and acting, she ultimately learned to accept and love herself.

The Golden Zebra

This beautiful “Golden Zebra” most likely albinism to a certain extent. This condition is very rarely seen in zebras, so the odds of coming across a zebra like this in the wild or even in a zoo setting is highly unlikely.

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Source: korrespondent.net

Scientist think zebra’s with a golden coat are only partially albino because their coat still has some pigment verse being completely without pigment.

A Man Who Inherited a Thumb From Each Parent

You know how proud you feel when you see a body feature that you inherited from your parents. This man’s parents must be very proud. This couple’s son inherited a thumb finger from each of them.

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Source: U/CHEWYPICKLE/ REDDIT

Although this unique and perfect condition does not have a name, it deserves to be on our list. However, the shorter thumb has a condition known as Brachydactyly, which causes his right thumb to be shorter.

The Boy In China With "Cat Eyes"

Nong Youhui, a little boy from Southern China, was born with a rare disease many refer to as “cat-eye.” With this condition, he is able to see in the dark just as well as he does during the daytime.

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Source: Facebook

According to reports, the boy’s eyes seem to glow at night due to the condition. The condition is known today as “Leukoderma.” The only sad thing is that his kind of eyes are extra sensitive to the light.

His Condition Got Him A Hollywood Job

A weird and frightening screen test began circulating around Hollywood in 2013. It depicted a tall, slender person crawling on the floor with a long black wig and white face mask, contorting abnormally long arms and fingers in ways human bones aren’t meant to bend. Many folks assumed it was a puppet. Others assumed it was a computer-generated image. Javier Botet, a Spanish actor who has since become the most sought-after monster man, was revealed to be the culprit.

Source: THESUN.CO.UK

Because of his rare condition, actor Javier Botet secured a spot to play a role in several horror movies in Hollywood. You may not know him, but he is the guy behind the leper in It: Chapter Two. He even had the leading role in the film Slenderman.

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The Girl With Mystical Albinism Look

Albinism is not a very unusual condition since it has affected many people around the world. Albinism is known to affect not only the health of the affected person but also their appearance.

Source: WEHEARTIT.COM

Those who have albinism may suffer from visual impairment and hearing, which can make life more challenging in certain situations. The condition, on the other hand, seems to be very chilly, giving many individuals a magical appearance.

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A Man With Freckles On One Side Of His Face

Freckles are sometimes considered a beauty mark by some people. Freckles may appear on some parts of the body, on the nose, all over the face, and sometimes all over the body.

Source: U/NOTSOSECRETT/ REDDIT

However, this guy has an incredibly unique type of freckling pattern because they appear only on one side of his face

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A Condition That Challenges Gender Appearances

This girl has a condition known as polycystic ovary syndrome, making her grow facial hair more than some women and men. Hannam Kaur has embraced her condition by letting her beard grow and encouraging women to embrace their bodies.

Source: Pinterest

She has gone even further to challenge and redefine how a woman’s body is believed to look.

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A Woman With No Pinky Or Ring Finger

Another one on our list is a very rare condition that involves a woman with only three fingers. We may have come across people born with an extra finger or a missing finger; however, this woman only has three fingers. Her pinky finger and the ring finger are missing.

Source: U/PIRATEPANDA/ REDDIT

This is a condition known as ectrodactyly, and although you may not have seen or heard about it, the condition is believed to affect 1 in 900,000 the babies in the world.

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A Model With 40-Inch Long Legs

Long legs are considered a part of beauty for most women, and most would do anything to have long, slender legs. But how about having 40-inch long legs? This Swedish female model has 40-inch long slender legs caused by an unusual genetic condition. Her legs, however, have enabled her to have a successful modeling career.

Source: U/BREIFCASEFULLOFGUTS/ REDDIT

Like most people on our list, this model has gone through stigma and ridicule in school as a child. However, while growing up, she has found a way to embrace this condition and make the most out of it.

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The Queen Of Melanin

Khoudia Diop is a model born in Senegal with an incomparable skin tone. Although this skin tone is not unusual in her country, she was still bullied and ridiculed for her skin color in school.

Source: U/DOWNVOTEDAEMON/ REDDIT

Diop, however, was able to overcome the ridicule and the bullying and became a very successful model. Her skin tone is not a condition but a natural complexion that refers to her as the ‘goddess of melanin.’

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Woman With Bowie Eyes

“Bowie Eyes” is a nickname given to a condition known as anisocoria. The condition results in one pupil of the eye functioning properly while the other one always stays in the same position. The condition is somehow mesmerizing to look at because it is so unique.

Source: BLOG.OPTOPREP.COM

Bowie eyes happen to one in 5 people in varying severity, which makes it a relitivly common condition considering what we have on our list.

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A Scarred Iris

This picture was uploaded by an anonymous Reddit user who decided to take to the internet in order to share their unusual genetic condition with the rest of the world. The individual has what is known as an unusual iris, which is defined as having a scar on the surface of their iris.

Source: Reddit

Despite the fact that one would expect their ability to see to be impaired as a result of this, they said that an eye doctor verified that there is nothing wrong with their eyes.

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The Girl With Uncomfortable Hair

Shilah Madison is a girl who was born with a hair condition known as ‘uncomfortable hair syndrome.’ The condition makes her hair stand up at all times, and her mother confirmed that the hair could be a little painful at times.

Source: @SHILAHMADISON/ INSTAGRAM

The uncomfortable hair syndrome makes the hair frequently break from the root, which can be painful for a little girl. The hair looks interestingly beautiful, though. Surprisingly enough, Shillah has embraced the condition that makes her look like a cute, little lioness.

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One Eye That Has Two Colors

This is pretty amazing and mysterious. How would you feel if your child or someone else close to you had different colors within one eye? Heterochromia is a condition that affects both eyes to have different colors, but where one eye has two different colors, this condition is known as sectoral.

Source: U/ANPENEMATT/ REDDIT

One glance at this person with sectoral and you would think that it is a case of fiction, but it’s not; this is one real human who has this rare condition, and their beauty is truly out of this world.

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The Woman With Long Toes

She has toes as long as her fingers, and she refers to them as “Greek feet.” She says she inherited them from her parents, who were born with the same condition. She posted this on Twitter and left everyone going crazy about her toes.

Source: DCARD.TW

Unfortunately, she was bullied and ridiculed about her toes when she was a child. Nonetheless, over time the woman says that she has grown to see and accept that she is a bit different and that it’s completely normal to be different from anyone else.

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The Tallest Woman In The World

You might not have heard about this, but the gigantism condition allows one to grow taller than usual. This woman is the tallest in the world at the moment.

Source: Facebook

Her name is Elisany da Cruz Silva and her height truly makes her unique. She is 6 feet and 9 inches tall.

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A Half White Face

Amazingly, this woman was born with the condition that makes half of her face look white while the other seems completely normal. This condition is referred to as unilateral vitiligo, which affects only one side of her face.

Source: @BEVICTORIIOUS/ INSTAGRAM

The condition makes her look uniquely beautiful, but unfortunately, she suffered low self-esteem when she was younger. Victoria Krus opens up that she could not accept that half of her face had vitiligo, but all that changed, and modeling gave her a sense of pride in her skin.

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The Guy With The Longest Thumb

This guy’s fingers are at normal length, but his thumb is the same size as his index finger, making it the longest thumb one has ever seen. This condition is known as a triphalangeal thumb, and it is not as unusual as you would think because it affects about 25,000 babies worldwide.

Source: Reddit

The people with this condition possess an advantage in playing musical instruments; it is believed that they are better at doing it.

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Two Separate Faces

Heterochromia occurs in humans as well as animals like cats and dogs. The term Heterochromia most commonly refers to a difference in coloration between two irises, but can also extend to hair color and skin color, as well. 

Source: onedio

This little lady is an extreme example of the condition found in nature. She had two noticeably  different eye colors as well as a perfect split down her face showing off her two very  fur colors.  

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A Girl With Red Hair and Different Colored Eyes

Red hair and different colored eyes are indeed an art. This genetic combination is very rare and beautiful. This girl has red hair and a condition named heterochromia that results in different eye pigments.

Source: Reddit

Hers is a sight to behold since very few people in the world are born with heterochromia plus red hair. You may have seen people putting on different colors of eye contacts to make them look more beautiful and unique, but this girl’s look is all-natural.

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The Woman With 12 Fingers

This condition is called polydactyly, where a person born with this condition will have extra fingers, toes, or both. In this woman’s case, she has an extra finger on each of his hands, which makes 12 fingers.

Source: U/DESIGNER_DRUGZ/ REDDIT

You might have seen people with immature extra fingers that cannot function, but all of her fingers look natural and can function properly. The condition only affects 1 in every 1000 people globally, which makes it very unique in the world. Since this condition is a strong genetic condition, her children might likely inherit this genetic trait as well.

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A Condition That Causes The Bones To Grow Longer Than Usual

Approximately one infant in every 10,000 births is affected with Marfan Syndrome, making it a somewhat common condition. People who have it have an utterly distinctive appearance since their bones develop considerably longer than they normally would, resulting in very thin arms and legs, as well as a bent spine, in comparison to the rest of the population.

Source: LEGOMENON.COM

Bradford Cox of Deerhunter was born with this disease, and he has been very outspoken about the physical challenges he has encountered throughout his life. Fortunately, this has not prevented him from following his musical career to date.

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Webbed Fingers

Although it may affect 1 in every 2000 children in the world, this condition is still very unique because we are guessing you have never seen someone with such a trait. Syndactyly is the name of the condition that allows someone to have what appears to be webbed fingers.

Source: Reddit

The fingers of this particular person are conjoined, which is why they are referred to as webbed fingers. This condition can be focused on either the toes or the fingers on your hands.

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Born With Elf-Like Ears

Some individuals are born with a condition known as “Stahl’s ear,” which is caused by an excess of cartilage in the person’s ear, resulting in ears that are naturally pointed – thus the moniker “elf ears” for these people.

Source: U/ANIMAORION/ REDDIT

One in 15,000 infants is born with this unique look, and many of them either outgrow it or opt to have surgery to correct it later on. We can’t say that we blame them since when it comes to “being different,” children can be very hurtful.

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Genetics In Control

This case is very extraordinary, one of a kind on our list! This young man’s father had an accident when he was only ten years old. Sadly, due to the accident, he lost a finger.

Source: SHAREABLY.NET

Little did he know years later, his son would Inherit a finger that would stop growing. The son’s finger stopped growing, and eventually, the father’s finger and the son’s finger looked completely identical.

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An Unexpected Similarity

Here is another case of webbed fingers but in a twisted way. The condition is known as syndactyly which causes two or more fingers or toes to be conjoined together.

Source: U/IANTHEGEEKV2/ REDDIT

In this case, the condition has resulted in two people having conjoined toes at the same spot. The most unusual thing is these two people are the wife and the sister of the guy who posted this picture. These two are not related by blood but still have truly identical parts of the body. What a coincidence!!

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Freckles That Fill Up The Face

Here is another case of freckles. We know that freckles are beautiful, and sometimes they grow on smaller patches of the body or the whole body.

Source: Pinterest

However, this guy has a rare appearance of having freckles all over his face. He is a model who embraces the condition with all that he has. The most beautiful thing about freckles is that no one knows their cause; they are mysterious and beautiful.

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Born With A Unique Peace Sign

This woman can stretch her pointer and middle finger to an extraordinary length. Her ability to do this is caused by a condition known as joint hypermobility or double joints.

Source: U/PAULPR0/ REDDIT

The condition does not only affect the fingers, but it can also affect the toes. Therefore, this woman can show this peace sign differently than most humans can. Although this condition is unusual, it does not affect a person’s daily life activities.

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A Middle Ages Condition

From years that date back to the Middle Ages, this condition has been documented for a very long time. The condition is known as hypertrichosis that results in someone having abnormal hair growth.

Source: EXPLOREBIOTECH.COM

This condition is not a 100% confirmed about its cause, but some scientists believe it is genetic. The condition has only affected five people in the whole world.

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Meet Nyakim Gatwech, The Model Nicknamed "Queen of the Dark"

Nyakim Gatwech is a 29-year-old model from South Sudanese descent who is taking the world by storm due to her unique complexion.

Source: reddit

The model is quite popular on Instagram with nearly one million followers. Her net worth for her unique genetics and modeling career is estimated at 9 million dollars.

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A Mother and Her Baby Have The Same Birthmark

No one has ever understood where birthmarks come from, but they are not unusual. This condition is known as poliosis. Poliosis comes from the Greek word “pilios,” which means grey.

The extraordinary thing about this situation is that this mother gave birth to a baby with the same birthmark in the exact same place. This will always remind the two of their incredible bond. Call it straight from the manufacturer!

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The Mirror Hand Syndrome

The mirror hand syndrome is extra interesting, and there are several things that one can see from this unusual, interesting hand. First, it may seem that the person is holding themselves. It may also seem like they are holding their hands.

Source: @DrLindseyFitzharris/ Instagram

The condition is also known as ulnar dimelia and has only affects less than 100 people worldwide in medical history, making it even more unique. By looking at this rare hand, one can conclude that the person has eight fingers on one hand that mirror each other, with no thumbs.

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A Finger With No Joint

Have you ever thought about how you would look if your fingers did not have the middle joints? A woman was born with a condition known as congenital trigger finger where her right thumb does not have a middle joint.

Source: U/BREAPOP/ REDDIT

The condition has made the woman have an extra soft thumb that doesn’t bend. The condition is not as rare as you think; 3.3 out of 1000 babies get it at birth.

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She Became A Renowned Model Because Of Her Unique Beauty Features

You may have heard of model Winnie Harlow by now since she has risen to become one of the world’s most recognizable faces in a very short period of time. Her dark complexion is complemented by slight depigmentation, resulting in a look that is amazing, one-of-a-kind, and one that is nearly hard to forget.

Source: U/WEBTHING01/ REDDIT

The model came to prominence after participating on the reality television show America’s Next Top Model, and she has since worked with major companies such as Victoria’s Secret, Marc Jacobs, Fendi, and Nike.

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Unique Hair Steaks

Individuals from all over the globe started rushing to hair salons as soon as the trend became popular in order to get highlights that would make their hair stand out more. Because she was born with a naturally occurring hairstreak at the back of her head, this young girl in the picture didn’t need any further treatments.

Source: U/SMSIKKING/ REDDIT

This girl has a single brown lock that sticks out amidst her gorgeous dirty blonde hair. We are reminded of Princess Anna from the animated film Frozen, which we find amusing!

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A Woman With Pupils At The Bottom Of Her Eyes

Although she can see as other people do, her pupil will continue to be at the bottom of her eyes. This is a condition known as coloboma, and it occurs when someone’s eyes have some holes in them.

Source: Reddit

This condition happens to be one of the rarest on our list since it affects less than 10,000 children in the world.

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A Cinnamon Roll Belly Button

You have seen different belly buttons and people who have added studs to their belly buttons to make them more attractive. This guy, however, has one of the most satisfying belly buttons.  A belly button with a cinnamon roll look.

Source: U/MOEBIUSMACHINE/ REDDIT

This is not an abnormal defect, but it depends on how the belly button healed when he was a baby.

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Real or Photoshopped?

While we’ve seen many other individuals on this list with unique genetic features that seem unreal at first glance, it is quite likely that this image here is one that’s photoshopped.

Rare genetic conditions do exist that could potentially make a person be this tall and thin around the arms and legs. You can be the judge.

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The Sweetest Birthmark

Birthmarks are such a common human occurrence most people don’t give them a second thought. Birthmarks tend to appear shortly after birth and are usually the result of an overgrowth of blood vessels, keratinocytes, and melanocytes.

Reddit

This little boy’s family was in for a pleasant surprise when their son came out with a perfect heart on his forehead.

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Little Love Mark

As mentioned above birthmarks are such a common human occurrence most people don’t give them a second thought. For animals however, a unique marking can be show stopping.

Reddit

This little guy has the sweetest “birthmark” right in the middle of the side of his fur. This cat is majority white with some black markings towards his head, but look down a little further and you are greeted with a perfect heart.

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