The Amazing Story of How Zebras Got Their Stripes

Zebras are undeniably the rock stars of the animal kingdom. While giraffes have their intriguing blotches and leopards boast beautiful rosettes, nothing quite compares to the flashy dazzle of a zebra. It’s truly a sight to behold, and I can’t help but wonder how these magnificent creatures came to be adorned with such striking stripes. After all, nature has a purpose for everything it creates, right?

Legend has it that long ago, when animals were still new to our planet, the weather was scorching hot, and water was scarce. The only source of water came in the form of small pools, zealously guarded by a wise old baboon.

As the other animals approached the pool, the proud baboon would puff up his chest and declare, “I am the ruler of this water, and you shall not have a drop!”

Once upon a time, there was a special zebra who had a coat as white as snow. All the zebras in those days had the same pure white color. One sunny day, this zebra decided to go down to the pool for a refreshing drink. Little did he know that a baboon was lazily sitting by his fire nearby.

As soon as the baboon caught sight of the zebra, he sprang up and angrily demanded that the zebra leave. “Hey, go away! This water is for everyone, not just for you, you silly monkey-face!” the zebra retorted, refusing to budge.

“Oh yeah?” the baboon snarled back. “Well, if you want to drink from this pool, you’ll have to fight me for it!” His challenge filled the air with tension.

The baboon charged toward the zebra, their clash ensuing in a thrilling, fierce battle. They wrestled and kicked, their strength matched. But in the end, with one mighty kick, the zebra managed to send the baboon flying high into the nearby cliff. The poor baboon landed with a loud smack on his backside, and from that day on, the hair on that spot stayed bald and smooth.

So, picture this: The zebra, worn out from the intense battle, stumbled and collapsed right into the baboon’s blazing fire. Too exhausted to escape quickly, the burning logs seared his white fur, leaving behind a pattern of stripes. The shock jolted the zebra, propelling him towards the open plains, where he has resided ever since. Now, here’s where it gets interesting… The baboon and his family, on the other hand, have opted to stay perched high up on the rocks. From there, they boldly challenge any unfamiliar faces, while wagging their tails to soothe the sting from their bald patches.

Naturally, there have been other theories regarding these enigmatic stripes, albeit less dramatic ones. One suggestion is camouflage, which proposes that zebras blend in perfectly with tall grass and dense bushes. However, excluding mountain zebras, most species prefer open grasslands and steer clear from tree-filled areas, where predators often lurk.

Let me try to explain this in a simpler way. Zebras have stripes on their bodies for a couple of different reasons. One reason is that zebras live in groups called herds, and their stripes can confuse predators. For example, if a lion is chasing a herd of zebras, it would have a hard time picking out just one zebra to catch.

Another reason zebras have stripes is because each zebra has its own unique pattern, like a snowflake. This helps them recognize each other, especially the young zebras who need to find their mothers in the herd. It’s like zebras have their own natural barcodes!

However, scientists have recently discovered a new theory. They think that the stripes actually repel bugs, like horseflies. These flies are really annoying and hard to get rid of. They can fly away quickly and are very hard to swat. But it seems that they don’t like the stripes on zebras, so they stay away from them.

Imagine this: a female horsefly with razor-sharp mandibles sinking into your flesh, feasting on your blood. Sounds terrifying, right? Well, it’s not just the horror of the moment that you have to worry about. These blood-sucking insects, known as horseflies, can be real troublemakers.

When a horsefly bites you, it’s not just a quick sting that you can forget about. Oh no, it’s an itch that lingers, making you squirm and scratch like a mad person. And if you’re a poor horse or another innocent grazing animal, these bites can be a serious annoyance. You’re trying to enjoy a nice meal, and these pesky flies won’t leave you alone.

But the trouble doesn’t end there. Horseflies are more than just bothersome, they can also be downright dangerous. You see, these little bloodsuckers have a knack for spreading diseases. They can carry all sorts of nasty stuff, like equine infectious anemia virus, parasitic filarial worms, and even anthrax. Yikes!

Now, imagine being swarmed by a gang of horseflies. It’s not a pretty picture, is it? Well, here’s another shocker: an animal attacked by such a swarm can lose up to 300 milliliters of blood a day. That’s a lot of blood! And you know what happens when you lose too much blood? It weakens you, and can even lead to death.

So, the next time you see a horsefly buzzing around, be grateful that it’s not sinking its mandibles into your flesh. And spare a thought for those poor animals out there, battling these blood-sucking villains on a daily basis. It’s a tough world out there, my friend.

Gábor Horváth, Susanne Åkesson, and their team of researchers from Hungary and Sweden embarked on a unique study. Rather than focusing on zebras, they sought to investigate the colors that attract annoying insects. Their approach was simple yet ingenious. They painted fiberglass horses in different colors, covered them in oil and insect glue, and placed them in a field to observe the results. Every two days, they carefully collected the captured flies and tallied their numbers.

What they found surprised them. While dark colors attracted the most flies and white colors attracted fewer, it was the horses painted with zebra stripes that attracted the fewest insects. This discovery led the researchers to uncover an intriguing phenomenon. Horseflies have a strong response to polarized light, which is light that vibrates in a single plane. The presence of stripes on the painted horses confused the light waves and deterred the flies.

‘So, I started studying horses – you know, the ones with black, brown, or white coats,’ said Åkesson from Lund University. ‘And guess what? We found something fascinating. When it comes to black and brown horses, they give off horizontally polarized light. And that’s like a magnet for flies! But here’s the thing – striped horses don’t have the same effect. Surprising, right? Even though the dark areas of their stripes reflect horizontally polarized light, it turns out that the narrower and more zebra-like the stripes, the less attractive they are to flies.’

Now, let’s think why this might be the case. Well, it seems that through the process of natural selection, horses with semi-stripes had a major advantage. They stayed healthier because they weren’t as appealing to flies. Maybe that’s why the semi-striped quagga, which was like a halfway point between stripes and solid colors, managed to survive for a while – until humans came along and drove it to extinction.

Why do zebras have stripes? Well, it’s not as exciting as a white zebra and a cranky baboon getting into a fight. But, if stripes also keep away the pesky tsetse fly (someone needs to investigate this further), then there could be a business opportunity here. Safari clothing might go from dull khaki to something more eye-catching.

You can find the research on horseflies in the Journal of Experimental Biology, published on 1 March 2012.