A variation on the camouflage theme. To a predator, a group of zebras could look blended into one large striped animal, too big to take on — particularly when the zebras move in a herd. The illusion would have the added benefit to zebras of making it difficult for predators to pick out a single animal to attack. As each zebra has their own unique striping pattern, one theory states that their stripes might act as a unique identifier, allowing individuals to recognize one another.
This theory is highly unlikely to be the why zebras have stripes, given that a uniformly coloured horses are able to recognize other individuals by sight and sound, and b unusual unstriped zebras have been observed mingling happily with a herd and breeding successfully.
His take here is that zebra stripes may in some way help males and females decide who they will mate with. A theory that has been around since the s and has gained traction in recent years is that zebra stripes evolved to help them avoid bites from flies carrying diseases such as African horse sickness, trypanosomiasis, and the potentially fatal equine influenza. Having a pattern that increased protection from biting flies, such as tsetse flies, could be a strong evolutionary advantage, meaning stripes would be passed on to future generations.
This theory was recently put to the test in a new study by biologists from the University of California Davis. They studied zebras and horses which were dressed in different coats: all black, all white, and a black-and-white zebra pattern.
The behaviour of flies around each animal was then recorded and analysed. The test found that far fewer biting flies landed on zebras than on horses, and, crucially, that horses dressed as zebras attracted fewer flies than horses wearing no coat or an all-white or all-black coat. The University of California Davis scientists are not sure why the flies exhibit this behaviour, though suggest that zebra stripes may have some sort of dazzling effect on the flies.
Our final theory for why zebras are striped has gained support in recent years, and states that their alternating colour pattern works to control their body temperature. Historically the thinking was that black stripes might absorb heat in the morning to warm the zebra up, while white stripes might reflect more light and cool the zebras whilst grazing for hours in the direct sun.
A recent scientific study found that during the warmer hours of a day, zebras black stripes were consistently Celsius higher than white stripes. In theory, this action could trap heat in the cool morning and lead to sweat evaporation during the peak sun hours. Whilst all savanna grazers need to regulate body temperature, zebras may especially benefit from an additional cooling system because they digest food less efficiently than other African grazers, so need to spend more time eating in the heat of the sun.
This illusion also applies to flies looking at zebras and explains why they struggle with the stripes as they attempt to land on them.
The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Log In. Contact us Sign up for newsletters. Log In Register now My account. August 19, am Updated August 24, pm. Sign up now to get daily updates and analysis on COP26, and the race to stop climate disaster Email address is invalid Thank you for subscribing! Jan 29, Felicity Jan 20, Hi Wonderopolis! I think it's intriesting that all zebras don't have the same stripes pattern and how their stripes help them camouflage.
But how fast do zebras run and are they black with white stripes or white with black stripes? Jan 21, Nov 11, Oct 9, Alex Oczkus Oct 2, Are zebras white with black stripes? Or black with white stripes? Oct 5, Wonderopolis May 14, Daniela from Mrs. Bahler's Enr Sep 23, How are zebras measured and how much do zebras' weigh? Wonderopolis Sep 23, Angel from Mrs.
Bahler's Enric Bahler Enrichment Class Sep 23, We did not know that lions were color blind. We wonder how lions can see zebras because it seems like their stripes keep them hidden.
We think maybe lions can detect movement or heat signature from the zebras. Wonderopolis Aug 26, Slate's class Apr 28, I like the zebra video. Kyleigh They are cool.
Ella They run away fast. Callie I like their colors. Juan I like their neat legs. Wyatt I like their tails. Wonderopolis Apr 28, Wonderopolis Sep 4, Zebras need their stripes so they can blend in with the night sky and be beautiful in the clear bright sky aren't they so beautiful? But they blend in with the night sky so they can hide from being a predator's prey Wonderopolis May 2, Labri Apr 25, First person: Cool I always thought zebras were white with black stripes but guess not!
You guys are awesome with this website I love it. Wonderopolis Apr 26, Gordon Apr 23, The baby zerbra was very cute. I like zebras. I'm in 2nd grade. Wonderopolis Apr 24, I liked the article. Also now I know why zebras have stripes. Wonderopolis Apr 10, Dowdell Apr 5, Thanks for the very interesting zebra Wonder! The 7S class really enjoyed finding out about zebras! Lena Wondered how many zebras are usually in a herd.
Peter G Wondered how many colours a chameleon can change to, Jacob K Wondered if he could train a zebra. Abe Wondered how many baby zebras a female zebra can have in her life. Benny Wondered if baby zebras can run as fast as the big ones. Thanks again Wonderopolis! We are loving Wondering with you! Wonderopolis Apr 6, Mar 27, I love zebras they are my favorite animal but I have a question. What is a baby zebra called? Wonderopolis Mar 27, Hey there Wonderopolis!
I always wondered why zebras have stripes! A lion is colorblind, and that is the main predator, so to us humans the zebra sticks out like a sour thumb, but in the wilderness it is a completely different story, so that makes perfect since! I'll be looking at more of your wonders soon. Wonderopolis Mar 19, Wonderopolis Mar 1, Sasser's Clas Feb 25, Our class learned many new facts about zebras while reading this article. We were most surprised to learn that zebras are black with white stripes.
We are still wondering if there are different types of zebras. We also wonder if zebras are also color blind. Wonderopolis Feb 25, Marissa Feb 21, Wow really interesting it's really cool to learn about the things I never knew about zebras!! I've got one question though why are zebras getting endangered and if lions are color blind how do they sense them? Wonderopolis Feb 21, Iris Feb 21, That is really interesting I thought zebras stood out the most but they're camouflaged.
Oh because I read a book about zebras and it said that it was caveman who painted black and white stripes so I don't know who to believe. Wonderopolis Feb 22, I didn't know snakes use camouflage! That's interesting!
I think tomorrow's Wonder will be about how a dog can sometimes crossbreed. Wonderopolis Feb 17, Hey it's me I was wondering why are some things color blind and can we get it and why do they have tongues?
They don't talk so why do they need it? And you guys should have a v-day wonder like why do we have it and who made it. Wonderopolis Feb 14, Sienna Feb 13, Hey there Wonderopolis!! I was just wondering Wonderopolis Feb 13, Radha Feb 12, Hi wonderopolis! I really liked the video and the information.
I love how you make the information fun but educational at the same time! So where do you get your information? Can't wait to see tomorrow's wonder of the day! Thanks, Radha Wonderopolis Feb 12, Kimora Feb 12, I love all the videos you come up with they are so cool.
Especially the zebra one. All the videos have interesting facts. Thanks, Kimora. Hey, I'm Kimora. I love how it shows all the interesting things about zebras. It was really nice getting the opportunity to get on Wonderopolis and see all this exciting stuff. Maybe your next wonder should be on "Why don't penguins swim" or something amazing!!!! Ali Feb 11, Zebras are my favorite animal!!! I'm glad you wrote about them! My favorite part of them is their stripes so I'm glad you wrote about that!
Wonderopolis Feb 11, Wonder Friend N Feb 7, I love zebras!! Thanks so much! Wonderopolis Feb 7, Cassandra Feb 6, Wonderopolis Feb 6, We're oh-so-glad you learned something new today, Cassandra!
Kelsey Feb 6, Ashley ortega Feb 6, Briahna Feb 6, Hi, I am Briahna and I am in Mrs. Hess' class, here are my wonders: Are zebras born with stripes, or do they grow and then the stripes start appearing as the get older?
What other animals are color blind? Are zebras color blind? How many zebras are born each year? Is there a certain time during the year when most zebras are born, or are they just born all the time throught the year? What is the lifespand of a zebra? Cool I did not know all that stuff about zebras it was so cool.
Wonderopolis Feb 5, Wonderopolis Feb 4, Chevalier's Class Feb 4, Dear Wonderopolis, We learned that zebras move in packs so that they look like one big animal. We also learned that they are black with white stripes. Why are zebras called black and white horses?
Why do animals like lions and zebras only see in black and white? Is the lion the only animal that hunts zebras? Do zebras have teeth? Why can't the lion pick out the black and white stripes? How fast does a zebra go? Are zebras related to any prehistoric animal? We think tomorrow's wonder will be about Greek mythology. Wonderopolis never gives you the answer for each wonder. Fireheart Feb 2, Hey guys! How cool! That is funny because we are learning about that in school right now! Thanks again, Fireheart Wonderopolis Feb 3, Hey Wonderopolis!
I just was wondering How is it that the scientists can tell is a lion is colorblind, and if it is, wouldn't the zebra still stand out? Thanks, Fireheart Wonderopolis Feb 2, I love zebras but I thought they were going to be black an white but after seeing the video and the facts I learned that zebras are white and black and I wonder if tomorrow's wonder will be about x-rays. Would you make tomarrows wonder about unicorns? Wonderopolis Nov 7, Joseph Feb 1, Zebras are fascinating creatures at first I thought the stripes was for people to not think that it is a horse.
Then my question is that what animal do the herds form when they run together? Did wonderoplis know that there was a zebra that is now extinct call a quagga zebra. I learned a lot about zebras today and I hope to learn more soon about animals.
Wonderopolis Feb 1, Lions are color blind. They use the stripes for camouflage and confusing their opponents. I like this info of the zebra I learned some stuff I didn't know about the zebra before as in how the animal hides in the brush and how the lion is color blind so it can't see the zebra so easy.
It's so much fun when we can learn something together, Wonder Friend student! Why are zebras black with white stripes? I looked and they have white with black stripes. Look for yourself and see if they are black with white or white with black stripes. LILD Feb 1, I learnd that a zebra has cool types of way to hide from predators! Can zebras see in black and white but I did learn that they can camouflage so that's cool but next time can you try harder to find out why from 12jk.
Zebras have stripes because of their genes, long ago there where two types of zebras a white zebra and a black zebra they soon combined both of there genes to make a stripped zebra. Feb 1, The PinkPanthers is my class. I really liked the video I can't believe how close he must have got to the zebras I could hear some wildlife in the background. I think your website is awesome! My guess for tomorrow is roman numerals. Can't wait to find out!
Mikayla T Feb 1, Wonderopolis, Today's wonder was one of my favorite wonders! I really like animals. Why do zebras have mohawks? Why don't they just have manes like horses? Today's clue for tomorrow really stumped me, but I think tomorrow's wonder is going to be about Roman numerals! Mikayla T Fouf Feb 1, Chrissy Feb 1, Thanks so much, Chrissy! We're glad to hear it!
Johnson's third and fourt How do scientists know that zebras are black with white stripes? Always wondering Is it roman numerals? Also we would love to learn if a rainbow could ever be shaped in a full circle. If there was not any ground, would it finish off the shape of a circle? J's third and fourth grad Although we didn't love the video because there weren't any words or telling us information, we did enjoy reading about how zebras use stripes as camouflage from their predators.
We did like the pictures too. We didn't know that lions were colorblind. Thank you for sharing this wonder with us!! Can't wait to see what's coming up next J's third and fourth graders. I'm in Mrs. She enjoys watching wonderopolis because she learns new things. I enjoy it to. Andrea Feb 1, Well thank you so much, Wonder Friend Andrea! We are glad you're here today! Morgan Feb 1, We are working on questioning in class and I was wondering where you got your information?
Arianna Feb 1, Thank you for the information about the zebra. The part of the zebra stripes is very interesting. You've got it, Arianna! Great work! Zebras stripes are really brown not black they may seem black but they're not.
Danny Feb 1, This really suprised me I really didn't know that they can do that, and i learned something new today! Thanks for sharing what you learned today, Danny! Nice work! PinkPanthers Feb 1, Hi Wonderopolis, We didn't know that lions were colorblind! We also didn't know that each zebra's stripes are different. It's like our fingerprints. It was neat to try and visualize a zebra being black with white stripes, instead of the other way around.
We were wondering how much a zebra eats each day? We think tomorrow's wonder will be about Roman Numerals, a ten letter word or the alphabet - starting at x. Berkleigh Feb 1, I really liked today's wonder! Zebras are one of my favorite animals. I have a Schleich figurine of a zebra. I thought it was so interesting to hear that zebras are not a white animal with black stripes, they are a black animal with white stripes, and that no two zebras's stripes are alike.
Thank you for today's wonder!
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