A documentary on a family dubbed the “most inbred” in America, went viral after several news websites recently covered the story.
The Whittaker family from West Virginia, are so inbred that their family members are visibly disabled mentally and cannot speak properly.
According to a report by It’s Gone Viral yesterday (5 April) the family members are known to communicate with each other by grunting, and they also bark at other people trying to interact with them and run away.
Inbreeding is the production of children from two parents who are closely related to each other.
The Whittakers consists of family members Ray, Betty, Kenneth, Ray, Timmy and Lorraine; Lorraine, Timmy and Ray are siblings with their parents being double first cousins.
And through the multiple generations of inbreeding, the Whittaker family is 4 times more likely to suffer rare genetic disorders.
The YouTube channel that featured the family, Soft White Underbelly, spoke to one of the family members Ray, who responded to the interviewer’s questions with grunts and barks, as well as pointing and nodding.
He is seemingly unable to speak but appears to be able to understand the questions that he was being asked.
Dangers of inbreeding
Inbreeding refers to the process of mating between closely related individuals, such as siblings or cousins. While this practice is common among some animals, it can lead to a variety of negative consequences in humans and other animals.
Inbreeding can cause a number of genetic disorders and can lead to reduced genetic diversity, which can make populations more vulnerable to disease and environmental stressors.
One of the most significant dangers of inbreeding is the increased likelihood of genetic disorders. When two closely related individuals mate, there is a higher chance that they will carry the same harmful recessive genes.
If both parents pass on the same recessive gene to their offspring, the child may inherit a genetic disorder.
Genetic disorders can range from mild to severe and can include conditions such as cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia, and hemophilia.
Inbreeding can also increase the risk of birth defects, such as cleft palate, heart defects, and neural tube defects.
In addition to genetic disorders, inbreeding can lead to reduced genetic diversity, which can make populations more vulnerable to disease and environmental stressors.
Genetic diversity is essential for the survival of populations because it allows for a range of traits and adaptations that can help individuals survive in changing environments.
When populations become inbred, they lose genetic diversity, which can limit their ability to adapt to new challenges.
Images source: Soft White Underbelly on YouTube