Why do zebras have black and white stripes?
While the question of why zebras have black and white stripes is still up for debate, there are studies claiming that they are a form of insect repellent.
The traditional explanation for the patterned fur of zebras is that they are meant to serve as a form of camouflage in the wild. In this way, they could hide more easily in the tall grass from predators, some of which cannot distinguish certain colors. However, one reason that has gained popularity among scientists is that the zebra’s hide is a response to the threat of an insect.
Why do zebras have black and white stripes?
A study by Lund University, published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, established that striped fur is actually a defense system against horseflies, whose females feed on blood. This species is attracted to polarized light, which is the kind that is projected flat, similar to that reflected in water, where these insects lay their eggs. So as to avoid this similarity to their breeding ground, the color of the hide is patterned with stripes.
As detailed in the article, this would explain why the narrower stripes are found on the head and legs, since the skin on these parts of the animal is less thick. Colors also play a fundamental role; according to the study, the mixture of black and white is “perfect when it comes to altering the signal of polarized light”.
However, the explanation is a theory and still does not constitute a definitive answer. One of the most frequent statements dismissing this explanation as improbable is that horses have not developed a similar system. In response, Susanne Akesson, author of the study, points out that humans may be behind the flat color of the horse’s fur, since these animals were domesticated, unlike zebras.
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Are zebras white with black stripes or black with white stripes?
One hypothesis asserts that the real color of the zebra is white because it is the color that has the most presence on the skin. Another study, this one published last year in Encyclopedia Britannica, ensures that they are actually black with white stripes, and that this can be determined by an analysis of their pigmentation.
“The important thing about zebras is that their white fur represents the absence of melanin; that is, white is not its own pigment,” the article explains. Thus, this study says that if a zebra were shaved, it would be a completely black animal.