Regardless of what you think about whether zebras have black stripes on white or white stripes on black, everyone agrees on one thing―zebras are beautiful, fascinating creatures, with their own unique place in the animal kingdom. How do a zebra's stripes act as camouflage? Spring is coming, and as some of us prepare to trade snowsuits for swimsuits, we may find a few extra pounds under our winter coats. The genetic mystery of the stripes is unique, but the color pattern actually works quite well for the zebra in its native environment. Grevy's zebras have narrower stripes and black stripes running down their spines. ), Cheetahs—which are actually more closely related to small cats—“definitely do not have spots or lines on their [tan] skin,” says Vincent van der Merwe, a biologist at South Africa’s Endangered Wildlife Trust. (July 11, 2008)http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-zebra.html. Zebras are close relatives of horses and donkeys and owe their popularity to their unique black and white stripes.

“The hair, if you take a couple of strands, looks clear,” Hedman says, though the bears look “bone white on the ice” because of the way the hair scatters light. Cheetahs (pictured, an animal named George at Zoo Miami) are actually not closely related to big cats, and thus have different skin colors. Camazine, Scott. The arrangement of its stripes also is mysterious, because each zebra has a totally uniquely designed coat. Would you like to write for us? They have broad stripes that fade to gray as they move down the body, and their legs have a lot of white. (Learn more about van der Merwe's work as a cheetah matchmaker.). The pattern of each zebra’s coloring is determined during the embryonic phase, before the zebra is born. © 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, © 2015- Conducted July 14, 2008. Have a question about the weird and wild world? 2020 National Geographic Partners, LLC. But what does animal skin look like under fur or hair—especially strikingly patterned animals such as big cats and zebras? Though the blue pigments are not completely understood, they're likely linked to sexual selection. These cells transfer melanin (a skin-darkening pigment produced by melanocytes) into some of the animal’s growing hairs. Animals are smart. When the bears molt out of their dense undercoat in the spring, “wee patches of black skin” are visible, Hedman says.

Some primates can have colorful skin, especially male Old World monkeys—including patas, mandrills, vervets, talapoins, and lesula—some of which have blue testicles. All mammalian hair color is dictated by melanin-producing cells, called melanocytes, that live within hair follicles. Grevy’s zebras are the largest of the zebra family, and their stripes are narrower. Since they travel in herds, experts believe that the huge sea of stripes confuse predators by looking like an optical illusion, blending all the animals’ figures into one undulating, striped blob. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Weird Animal Question of the Week answers your questions every Saturday. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. "We know that in situations where stripes are apparent in the hair, they are not apparent in skin," Barsh says, citing domestic cats, domestic dogs, horses, zebras, and cheetahs as examples. For instance, zebra skin is black under their black-and-white striped coats. Giraffes have light tan skin, similar to their coat color. We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. The stripes deflect up to 70% of the heat that hits the zebra’s body during the day. All zebras are dark-skinned animals. Swarthmore Virtual Library of Developmental Biology. (July 11, 2008)http://www.imh.org/museum/breeds.php?pageid=8&breed=103, The Development of Zebra Striping Pattern. The stripes on its withers (shoulders) contain the most specific markings to an individual zebra, and each animal is able to tell the others apart. (July 11, 2008)http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0309/feature2/index.html?fs=video.nationalgeographic.com&fs=plasma.nationalgeographic.com, Murray, James Dickson.

That's likely because the colored hair follicles embedded in the skin are visible, similar to a man's five-o'clock shadow, Barsh says. Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic Photo Ark, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2017/03/animals-skin-colors-zebras-big-cats.html, Before and After: See Animals Change Their Coats for Winter, black under their black-and-white striped coats, Learn more about van der Merwe's work as a cheetah matchmaker, video of a captive cat undergoing a surgical procedure to relieve kidney stones, because of the way the hair scatters light, Read how polar bears are coping with a changing climate. 1974. The same goes for snow leopards, as seen in this video of a captive cat undergoing a surgical procedure to relieve kidney stones and this photo of a shaved snow leopard cub. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This gives humans our skin color and hair color, and zebras their black color. The striping pattern has something to do with the effect of striping pigmentation.

These butterflies have stripes like zebras, and tailed wings, like swallows. Natural History Magazine. Giraffe skin is a uniform light tan that's similar in color to that of its coat, and its patterns are not visible, Mads Bertelsen, a materials scientist at Denmark's Copenhagen University, says via email. People who wear zebra-print outfits on a crowded street are easy to spot, so you might think that a zebra’s stripes make it easy prey.

We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you’ve provided to them or that they’ve collected from your use of their services. Our Zebra Skin Rugs are felted or unfelted this is your choice. We prefer the Zebra skin to be unfelted as it is then in its most natural state. Reader Christian Meyer asked Weird Animal Question of the Week to investigate.

Male drills (pictured, a five-month-old captive drill) have blue and pink rumps that signal their social ranking. Let's find out... Everyone knows that zebras are striped black and white. Here are some interesting facts about zebra swallowtail butterflies that belong to the family Papilionidae, which includes some of…, Black widow spiders' webs are made of superior silk threads, as compared to the webs of other spiders, which is the reason for the use of this silk thread to…. One would imagine, then, that the zebra is an anomaly, and other equine animals are more in line with the origins of the species.

They never take their coats off. Weird & Wacky, Copyright © 2020 HowStuffWorks, a division of InfoSpace Holdings, LLC, a System1 Company.

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. June 2003. "Mathematical Biology." Groves, Colin P. "Horses, Asses and Zebras." Genetics are the answer. All rights reserved. The idea of white stripes on black is further supported by the fact that most zebras have dark-colored skin beneath all their black and white fur. (July 11, 2008)http://books.google.com/books?id=VmCQ28GWqE0C, "Mammals: Zebra." International Museum of the Horse. They have wide black stripes against a background that is cream-colored. The research confirms the thermoregulation theory. When baboons are born, “their noses, hands, and ears are very, very pink, but darken with age,” Fred Bercovitch, a wildlife biologist at Japan's Kyoto University, says via email. To top it off, … Everyone knows that zebras are striped black and white. The stripes on its withers (shoulders) c… (July 14, 2008)http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/AfricanSavanna/fact-gzebra.cfm. All You Wanted to Know About the Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly, Hair-raising Facts About the Black Widow Spider. San Diego Zoo. Oh, we have no idea what that feels like. Zebras (such as this Burchell's zebra, photographed at Zoo Atlanta) have black skin under their striped coats. We’ll first talk about what use the stripes have for these animals, what color the actual stripes are, and the difference in the stripes according to various species. Although all zebras share the striped pattern and generally look the same, there are distinct differences between the three species that exist. These cookies do not store any personal information. (In mandrills, color has been linked to social status.). "The Development of Zebra Striping Pattern." Their fur is varying degrees of brown, white, gray, and even black hair, and the "follicles seem to give the skin a slightly different contrast.". We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Zoologists aren’t really sure why the zebra has a striped pattern on its coat. "Patterns in Nature." You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. We hope you enjoy this website. September 2003. Melanocytes that live between follicles control skin color, says Greg Barsh, a geneticist at Hudson Alpha Biotechnology Institute in Huntsville, Alabama. Let’s find out…. Well, we're looking for good writers who want to spread the word. However, as well as small-scale convection currents created between the stripes which aid … What's under animals' hair and fur coats may surprise you. The arrangement of its stripes also is mysterious, because each zebra has a totally uniquely designed coat. This means that black is the actual fur color, and the white stripes are simply areas that lack any pigmentation. But in the jungle, a zebra’s stripes are actually good camouflage to keep it hidden from its primary predators, which are hyenas and lions. The African zebra is one of the oldest animals in the horse family, but it seems to be much more exotic than donkeys and quarter horses.

(Before and After: See Animals Change Their Coats for Winter.). National Geographic Magazine. The zebra’s stripes arise from melanocytes (specialized skin cells) that selectively determine the pigmentation of the animal’s fur. Information about the device's operating system, Information about other identifiers assigned to the device, The IP address from which the device accesses a client's website or mobile application, Information about the user's activity on that device, including web pages and mobile apps visited or used, Information about the geographic location of the device when it accesses a website or mobile application. Smithsonian National Zoological Park.

It’s “quite black when born, but turns to brindle-grey when older.”. Get in touch with us and we'll talk... Now, let’s get to the part that interests everyone―their stripes. But are they black stripes on white, or white stripes on black? A group of a dozen zebras might be too intimidating for a single lion to take on by himself. (Read why zebras have stripes. The short answer is it depends on the animal. But are they black stripes on white, or white stripes on black? Tweet me, leave me a note in the comments, or find me on Facebook. This also helps the predators blend into their polar environment. The actual skin beneath the fur of a zebra varies between animals, some may have all pink skin like ours, while others will have black, brown or white patches. The skin cells of most animals—zebras and humans included—produce a pigment called melanin. Smith, Lisa. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website.

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