The stripes of zebras could help them protect themselves from biting flies by disrupting their ability to visually target them. The stripes could also play a role in regulating the body temperature of zebras.
The stripes of the zebra come from the action of certain particular genes, responsible for the pigmentation of the coat. The most well-known is the Agouti gene, which regulates the distribution of black pigments (eumelanin) and white or light ones. During embryonic development, these genetic factors activate specific chemical reactions, forming a pattern of alternating bands whose thickness and sharpness are specific to each individual. Thus, it is a precise genetic program, inherited from the parents, that creates these stripe patterns unique to each zebra, like a kind of natural fingerprint.
The stripes of zebras act as a visual camouflage, especially when the herd starts to flee. In the face of predators like the lion or the hyena, it is difficult to aim precisely at a single zebra when the optical effect blurs their outlines in the mass. We are talking about a dazzling effect caused by the rapid movements of all those contrasting lines. A predator in full chase needs to clearly identify an animal, to anticipate its trajectory— the stripes disrupt all of that, creating a visual confusion that can sometimes be costly for hunters. That’s why these strange black and white stripes would ultimately be far from a handicap.
The stripes of zebras could well be a kind of natural air conditioning. Sun on black fur guarantees a hot area. On white fur, it's cooler. This contrast between black and white stripes would create small temperature differences that generate mini air currents above their skin. As a result, it helps the animal better dissipate heat under the blazing African sun. Several experiments indeed show that zebras withstand the heat in direct sunlight better than some non-striped animals. The alternating arrangement of black and white bands would thus act like built-in air conditioning—a small stroke of natural evolutionary genius.
Each zebra has a unique stripe pattern, somewhat like our fingerprints. This greatly facilitates recognition among members of the same group or family. A mother zebra, in particular, identifies her young one by the specific arrangement of its stripes; their bond relies heavily on this. In herds, being able to distinguish a friend from an intruder just by taking a quick glance at the patterns clearly helps maintain stable social relationships. These stripes create a sort of super practical visual language in daily life, allowing zebras to effortlessly communicate who is who in the savanna.
Researchers have noticed that the stripes of zebras seem to disrupt the vision of biting insects, such as tsetse flies or horseflies. In fact, these insects often locate their target by detecting reflections of polarized light on the skin or its dark uniform color. Consequently, the zebra's black and white stripes confuse their visual cues and make landing difficult. As a result, zebras are bitten far less often than other animals in the savanna. Fewer bites mean less risk of contracting dangerous diseases transmitted by these insects. Scientists even conducted experiments with horses disguised as zebras to confirm this natural trick, and indeed the insects appeared completely disoriented when approaching the striped patterns.
The black and white stripes of zebras could help with thermal regulation by creating micro-cooling air currents on the surface of their skin under the strong African sun.
The term 'banding' is used in other fields, for example in meteorology to describe cloud formations in bands resembling the stripes of a zebra.
Recent studies indicate that zebra stripes may have a repellent effect on certain biting insects, particularly tsetse flies, reducing the risk of disease transmission.
When a zebra is domesticated or tamed, its behavior generally remains wilder and more unpredictable than that of a horse, making this practice relatively rare.
Some studies suggest that wearing contrasting striped patterns could actually reduce the attractiveness of the wearer to certain biting insects, such as flies or mosquitoes, although these conclusions still require further research to be generalized.
In reality, several animal species display stripes, although rarely as pronounced and distinct as those of the zebra. For example, the tiger also has a striped pattern. However, the stripes on the zebra seem to have evolved in response to specific ecological pressures such as predation, climate, and biting insects.
The stripes of zebras stabilize shortly after birth, and their pattern remains largely unchanged throughout their lives. However, certain factors such as scars or changes in fur due to aging can slightly affect their appearance.
There are no zebras that are completely devoid of stripes, but the pattern and intensity of the bands can vary greatly depending on the species. Some zebras may have less contrasting or partial stripes.
No, each zebra has a unique pattern of stripes, comparable to human fingerprints. This allows for individual and social recognition within herds.
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