Why do zebras have stripes? A new theory that raises hair is "smart, complex and beautiful"

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Why is the sky blue? Check. What makes a rainbow? Check. Why do zebras have stripes? Uh … he left scientists perplexed. Again. In fact, since Charles Darwin adopted his theories of evolution in the nineteenth century for the first time, scientists are trying to understand exactly why different species of African equines known as zebras have their coat distinctive black and white striped.

This is not a black and white problem, but new research has revealed that zebras have an unexpected ability to lift hair on their black stripes, such as velvet, while white stripes remain flat.

Why make Zebras have stripes?

The tip of the zebra bands has been the subject of much discussion. Scientists have mainly focused on the theory that zebra stripes keep them cool in the sun. This theory asserts that black stripes become warmer than white, creating small vortices where warm air and cold air meet and act as a fan to cool the body. In addition, zebra stripes become remarkably more pronounced in animals living in warmer climates near the equator. The July 2018 paper "Experimental proof that rays do not cool zebras" & nbsp;Posted in Scientific reports have refuted this theory, but researchers have measured the temperature variations of striped (and not scratched) water barrels left in the sun. No zebra has been involved.

A disheveling theory

The new study "Do welts have an influence on thermoregulation?"& nbsp;published & nbsp; in the Journal of Natural History& nbsp;Alison Cobb, an amateur naturalist and former biology technician, and her zoologist husband, Dr. Stephen Cobb, use field data from Kenya. It included two live zebras, a stallion and a mare, as well as a zebra skin draped over a clothesline as a witness. This is the first time that zebras have been evaluated in their natural habitat to study the role of rays in controlling temperature. & Nbsp; The research confirms the theory of thermoregulation. However, in addition to the small-scale convection currents created between bands that facilitate the evaporation of sweat, the authors claim that zebras can erect their black bands.

It turns out that this is not the color of the stripes of a zebra, but what they do.

How did they do it?

The unregistered ability of zebras to erect their black bands has been discovered by comparing the temperatures of living zebras with zebra skin. The latter became warmer than the previous 16 ° C / 61 & F; The authors propose that lifting black hair transfers heat from the skin to the surface of the hair. However, they also recognize that the vortices where warm air meets cold air another theory that zebra stripes help to avoid blood-sucking parasites.

"Since I read" How the leopard got his spots "& nbsp; in Kipling's Just So Stories when going to bed, at about four, I wondered what the zebra stripes are for, "said Alison Cobb, lead author of the new paper. "Over many years in Africa, we have always been struck by the time zebras spent grazing in the overwhelming heat of the day and felt that scratches could help them control their temperature in one way or another. from another. "

"The solution to the zebra thermal balance challenge is smarter, more complex and more beautiful than we had imagined."

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Why is the sky blue? Check. What makes a rainbow? Check. Why do zebras have stripes? Uh … he left scientists perplexed. Again. In fact, since Charles Darwin adopted his theories of evolution in the nineteenth century for the first time, scientists are trying to understand exactly why different species of African equines known as zebras have their coat distinctive black and white striped.

This is not a black and white problem, but new research has revealed that zebras have an unexpected ability to lift hair on their black stripes, such as velvet, while white stripes remain flat.

Why make Zebras have stripes?

The tip of the zebra bands has been the subject of much discussion. Scientists have mainly focused on the theory that zebra stripes keep them cool in the sun. This theory asserts that black stripes become warmer than white, creating small vortices where warm air and cold air meet and act as a fan to cool the body. In addition, zebra stripes become remarkably more pronounced in animals living in warmer climates near the equator. The July 2018 document entitled "Experimental proof that rays do not cool zebras" was published in Scientific reports have refuted this theory, but researchers have measured the temperature variations of striped (and not scratched) water barrels left in the sun. No zebra has been involved.

A disheveling theory

The new study "Do zebra stripes influence thermoregulation?" published in the Journal of Natural History Alison Cobb, an amateur naturalist and former biology technician, and her zoologist husband, Dr. Stephen Cobb, use field data from Kenya. It included two live zebras, a stallion and a mare, as well as a zebra skin draped over a clothesline as a witness. This is the first time that zebras have been evaluated in their natural habitat to study the role of rays in controlling temperature. The research confirms the theory of thermoregulation. However, in addition to the small-scale convection currents created between bands that facilitate the evaporation of sweat, the authors claim that zebras can erect their black bands.

It turns out that this is not the color of the stripes of a zebra, but what they do.

How did they do it?

The unregistered ability of zebras to erect their black bands has been discovered by comparing the temperatures of living zebras with zebra skin. The latter heated up to 16 ° C / 61 ° F. The authors propose that lifting black hair transfers heat from the skin to the surface of the hair. However, they also recognize that whirlpools where hot and cold air meet support another theory that zebra stripes help to avoid parasites prone to blood.

"Since I read" How the leopard got its spots "in Kipling's book Just So Stories when going to bed, at about four, I wondered what the zebra stripes are for, "said Alison Cobb, lead author of the new paper. "In many years in Africa, we've always been amazed by the time zebras spent grazing in the overwhelming heat of the day and felt that the scratches may have helped them control their temperature."

"The solution to the zebra thermal balance challenge is smarter, more complex and more beautiful than we had imagined."