Spreading the Knowledge
Breeds and Genetics
Like any other species in the world, werewolves have subspecies, more commonly referred to as breeds. Just as human beings have subspecies defined in the human race, both are very broad. Here you can find these different breeds, their cultures, and what makes them unique.
To be a werewolf, you must possess two copies of the wolf gene (the gene that allows you to shift). When a trait is recessive, an individual must have two copies of a recessive allele to express that trait. As the gene is hereditary, turning is not possible via any form, whether it be “the bite”, subliminals, a spell, or anything else. Having only one copy of the gene would make you a carrier, unable to shift yourself, but being capable of passing it onto your offspring. This is why some werewolves are born several generations apart from their wolf ancestors and live in human families. In this case, only individuals with a recessive homozygous genotype will express the recessive shifting trait, meaning the offspring would need to receive one recessive allele from each biological parent to make a werewolf, even if the both of them were only carriers themselves. Both recessive traits cannot be obtained from one parent alone. Even for someone who does have two copies of the wolf gene, if they have not shifted, they are not technically a werewolf. Being a werewolf requires one to have physically shifted forms from the body of a human to the body of a wolf, and unless there are specific indicators outside of shifting present, that person is not a werewolf. That is the most prominent differentiating factor between a werewolf and a natural human, and without it, you are simply human. That being said, even after shifting, werewolves are still human themselves. Werewolves are, literally, humans that turn into wolves. Shifting also has a lot of requirements that must be met for it to happen properly, that can be found on our Shifting page.
As a short example of genetics, here is a brief layout for the wolf gene. This does, of course, also apply to any other recessive gene. A basic Punnett square can be used to determine all possible genotype combinations in the parents.
Let (H) represent the dominant allele, being a human, and (h) represent the recessive allele, being a werewolf. Only (hh) individuals will be capable of shifting. To determine the probability of inheritance of a werewolf (or any other recessive trait), the genotypes of the parents must be considered. If one parent is heterozygous (Hh), a human carrier of the wolf gene, and the other is homozygous recessive (hh), a werewolf, then their offspring will have a fifty percent chance of being werewolves (see example A). If both parents are shifters, being homozygous recessive (hh), any children they have would also carry the recessive genes, because no dominant gene is present (see example B).
Example A
Example B
Other Examples
However, this simplified explanation of genetics does not mean that all werewolf couples will have werewolf children. An offspring with homozygous recessive alleles (hh) is not guaranteed to mature to shift. Similar to how some ginger couples may produce brunette children, not all werecreature couples produce werecreature offspring. The dominant human trait is ALWAYS present, even in shifters.
Your biological categorization, or more commonly seen as your race of human, is linked to your breed of werewolf. Breeds are very much like ethnicities and should be treated as such. Certain countries are more likely to carry certain breeds just as they are certain races. With so much migration over the centuries, knowing which corners of the world your ancestors are from comes in handy. These days, everyone's mixed with something.
