stripey dilemma?

Question

is a zebra white with black stripes
or
black with white stripes

Answer 1

Genetically it is black with white stripes. Sorry folks but equine color genetics tend to forbid a base coat of white. White animals carry a lethal recessive and usually lack the last segment of the colon. They die within a couple weeks of birth.

Also the stripes are camoflage but not to break up the outline of the animal in the sun or on the plains. The animal is camoflaged within and only within the herd. Predators have a hard time focusing on one animal in the herd. As long as they stay clustered the predator will often become confused and fail to make a kill.

Lions like most predators were once believed to be colorblind but it is now known they are not. They do not see color as well as we can but they do see in color and the black and white stand out. Basically this is old data that needs correcting. I did not go into much detail here but the idea is essentially that if the lion can single out an individual it will have trouble making a kill.

Also another detail is the leg striping. Here stripes are horizontal making it hard to judge the true location of a running or kicking leg. A predator misjudging the distance can miss a kill or get a broken jaw.

An experiment was done by repainting the stripes vertically or getting rid of them completely. Zebras with these changes had a significantly higher mortality rate (2 to 3 times normal).

Answer 2

Zebras are white with black stripes as their underbelly is covered in white for camouflage purposes. [1] These stripes are typically vertical on the head, neck, forequarters, and main body, with horizontal stripes at the rear and on the legs of the animal. The "zebra crossing" is named after the zebra's white on black stripes.

Zoologists believe that the stripes act as a camouflage mechanism. This is accomplished in several ways. First, the vertical striping helps the zebra hide in grass. While seeming absurd at first glance considering that grass is neither white nor black, it is very effective against the zebra's main predator, the lion, which is color blind. A zebra standing still in tall grass may not be noticed at all by a lion and as zebras are herd animals the stripes help in camouflage is by confusing the lion — a number of zebras standing or moving close together may appear as one large animal, making it more difficult for the lion to pick out any single zebra to attack.[2] A herd of zebras scattering to avoid a predator will also represent to that predator a confused mass of vertical stripes travelling in multiple directions making it difficult for the predator to track an individual visually as it separates from its herdmates.


Stripes are also believed to play a role in social interactions, with slight variations of the pattern allowing the animals to distinguish between individuals.

A more recent theory, supported by experiment, posits that the disruptive coloration is also an effective means of confusing the visual system of the blood-sucking tsetse fly.[citation needed] Alternative theories include that the stripes coincide with fat patterning beneath the skin, serving as a thermoregulatory mechanism for the zebra, and that wounds sustained disrupt the striping pattern to

Answer 3

She zebra is PINK under those stripes. The stripes is 1. a camouflage; 2. moving ID; 3. thermos regulation; 4. for us to wonder about!

Answer 4

It's black-and-white striped. ;-) It may look white with black stripes since its belly is white, but the black isn't painted over the top of the white, it just looks like it is. Maybe this is more of a philosophy question....

Answer 5

White with black stripes, doesn't it break up the outline well in mottled sunlight conditions?

Answer 6

If you look at its underbelly you will see that it is white. The black stripes are for camouflage.

Answer 7

its white with black stripes.