Collaborators and I recently discovered that the strength of striping in one species of zebra, the widespread plains zebra, varies with temperature. There is another idea about the function of zebra stripes that could have an impact on their survival, and could possibly benefit humans and the rest of the planet. This is very much like your dog or cat wearing a flea collar. Collars exuding this smell are now being developed for livestock to wear. Researchers have discovered that waterbuck give off an odour that deters tsetse flies. The inability to rear livestock is one reason some areas of Africa are safe from human encroachment and are left for wildlife.Īt any rate, the waterbuck may have already stolen the zebra’s thunder. This solution for livestock would be a double-edged sword, though. ![]() I can just see a herd of zebra striped cows contentedly munching away in a swarm of confused tsetse flies. By trying to work out the genetic basis, we might one day be able to breed zebra-striped livestock. Researchers are working on not only why zebras are striped, but how. Much research has gone into trying to mitigate this problem. Nagana, a form of sleeping sickness carried by tsetse flies, is a serious deterrent to livestock rearing in parts of Africa. It has also been suggested that zebra stripes keep disease-carrying flies, such as tsetses and horseflies, from biting. Once we understand whether stripes make something harder or easier to capture, rest assured that technology will make use of the fact. Research is mixed as to whether stripes actually lend such an advantage to zebras or might instead make them easier to catch. In the first world war, ships were painted with bold black and white patterns in the hopes of making them less vulnerable to attack. The dazzle effect has already been put to use. The thought is that the dazzle effect of their stripes confuses the predator about either distance, speed, direction of movement, or where one zebra ends and the other begins. The most well-known idea about why zebras are striped is that they help them escape predation. I’ll take up each of these ideas in turn, while speculating about the societal benefits that could obtain if they were proven to be true. Three ideas have some support: that stripes help zebra escape predation, avoid biting flies, and keeping cool. ![]() But could it be more? Could the answer to why zebras are striped provide any benefits to society? There are many ideas about the advantages that stripes might confer on zebras. I began studying the question out of pure curiosity. It is also a question that offers a great educational tool by helping the general public understand how evolution shapes the variation we see in nature. But it has fascinated many generations and is embedded in the lore of Africa. How the zebra got its stripes might at first seem like an esoteric question.
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