The owner of a dog was shocked to discover a very colourful surprise in her most recent litter.
With the first three puppies that white German shepherd Gypsy gave birth to, little seemed out of the ordinary.
When the fourth plopped out at her home in Canton, North Carolina however, owner Shana Stamey received a shock.
The newborn mutt was "lime green" she explained.
"I started freaking out because it was green," Shana said.
"As Gypsy is doing her job getting him cleaned up, he was crying and looked bright neon lime green.
"I didn't have a lot of time between pups as I had to help her move on to the next one coming after him."
The mystery of the bright greeny-yellow pup didn't take too long to resolve.
"I found out the reason behind his strange colour is a bile pigment called biliverdin, which is found in the placenta of dogs," the 36-year-old said.
"Biliverdin can dislodge as the puppy is born, and mixes with the amniotic fluid.
"The amniotic fluid is what surrounds the puppies in their mother's womb, and when biliverdin mixes in, it stain their coat.
"It will eventually clear off in the next few weeks as mum cleans him and we bathe him."
While that might take a touch of the adorable gloss of the colourful hound's unlikely entry in the world, fortunately his condition poses him no danger.
When asked what the puppy is called, Shana told WLOS: “Hulk! It was lime green. He was super mad. So, yeah, he became Hulk.
“We thought about Gremlin, yeah, Pistachio. We call him Mr. Green sometimes."
Once Hulk is old enough he will be put up for adoption alongside his brothers and sisters.
