Zebra patterns function as a complex cooling system

TThe mystery of how and why the zebra acquired its stripes has baffled scientists for centuries.

But now, zoologists believe that alternate black and white marks act as a complex cooling system, creating a convection air stream that behaves like a natural fan, thus contributing to the evaporation of the sweat.

Former biology technician, Alison Cobb, and her husband zoologist, Dr. Stephen Cobb, of the University of Nairobi, measured the temperature of the black and white bands of two plain-born plains zebras to 15-minute intervals on a sunny day in Kenya.

They found that, throughout the day, the black absorbing bands reached temperatures between 111F (44C) and 132F (56C), but the most reflective white remained between …