Los Angeles – Scientitsts think they know how the zebra got its stripes – and the answer is far from black and white.
They say the distinctive pattern keeps the animals cool under the African sun.
It is thought that differences in the way the dark and light fur absorbs and gives off heat create refreshing currents of air.
US scientists compared the stripes of zebras from 16 different sites with their living conditions.
They looked at factors including the weather, vegetation and the presence of lions and biting flies.
The analysis revealed a clear link between temperature and coat pattern, with zebras from the hottest areas having the stripiest bodies. Those in the tropics also had the darkest stripes, according to a report in the Royal Society journal Open Science.
It has been argued that the stripes’ main function is to create an optical illusion that dazzles hungry lions.
But the University of California scientists did not find that more lions had gathered in the areas where zebras had few stripes.
And while it is often said the stripes act as camouflage by making zebras hard to spot in constantly changing woodland light, the researchers pointed out they spend much of their time in the open savannah.
Daily Mail