“Rarest of rare” black deer spotted in Michigan

John Roach was traveling about 150 miles north of Grand Rapids when he spotted a creature he never thought he would see.

“As I looked to my left I saw two deer in the lane that runs to the back of the property - nothing unusual except that one was typical and one was pitch black,” he posted to Facebook, along with a photo of the spectacle.

Melanistic deer, as they are known, are considered the “rarest of rare,” according to the North American Whitetail website – even more uncommon than the albino whitetail.

A genetic mutation creates the color variation by causing the body of a melanistic deer to produce too much pigment known as melanin.