Question

a jaguar with a solid black coat (left) and a jaguar with a spotted coat
the hairs in a jaguar’s coat are colored by molecules called pigments. the pigments are made in cells at the base of each hair. when these cells make light pigments, the hair is light - colored. when these cells make dark pigments, the hair is black.
a protein called mcr1 controls how the jaguar’s cells color each hair with light and dark pigments. the function of the mcr1 protein results in jaguars with spotted coats, made up of both light - colored and black hairs. the mcr1 protein is encoded by the mcr1 gene.
a certain jaguar had a solid black coat because of a mutation in its mcr1 gene. compared to the mcr1 gene without a mutation, the mutated mcr1 gene encoded a form of the mcr1 protein with a different structure.
this different form of the mcr1 protein allowed only dark pigments to color the hairs.
complete the sentence.
the mutation caused the mcr1 gene to encode a form of the mcr1 protein that allowed only ____ pigments to color the jaguar’s hairs.
options: dark, light

Explanation:

The text clearly states that the mutation caused the MCR1 gene to encode a form of the MCR1 protein that allowed only dark pigments to color the jaguar's hairs.

Answer:

dark