Why do Zebras Have Stripes
https://student.societyforscience.org/article/one-plus-wearing-stripes
Scientist have recently done a study and discovered a possible answer to why zebras have black and white stripes. Before this study there was a lot of speculation as to why they have stripes. It was thought that they had them to hide from or confuse predators, but they saw that the stripes did not seem to affect predators very much. Also scientists thought that maybe the stripes helped them stay cool, but they tested this and found no evidence that this was true. What they did find however was that flies tend to avoid them but they land of similar animals, like asses, with no stripes. These flies can cause disease, and be fatal to zebras and horses. The flies prefer solid colors to land on and tend to avoid the zebras. This seems to be the most practical reason as to why zebras have stripes.
NOS Themes-
Science is collaborative- many scientists worked together on this observation.
Science is based on evidence- They observed and watched how the flies avoided the zebras more than non-striped horses.
This article surprised me because I had no idea why the zebras had stripes. I always thought that it was for the predators and it was cool to find out there actual use. Maybe they could use this in places where malaria is spread by mosquito and wear striped clothes so that less people get infected.
ReplyDeleteThis article was pretty interesting to me because it makes you wonder why flies would avoid an animal that has stripes. Maybe the flies get confused or something. Either way, it may also help explain like an animal in a similar climate, like a giraffe, isn't solid colored either. Cheetahs and hyenas are also generally spotted and this could help explain.
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