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| (Photo by Paul Mantz) |
"How the zebra got its stripes" sounds more like the title of a fable than like the title of a scientific inquiry.
Nevertheless, Alan Boyle of NBC News reports that research scientists have been debating this very issue "ever since Charles
Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace started the argument in the 1870s."
Three of the most prevalent theories of why zebra have stripes have been these: a.
Costumes for courtship? b. Camouflage to confuse lions and other
predators? c. A natural way to cool
off? d.
Bug repellent?
Interestingly enough, "bug repellent" seems to be gaining the most scientific credibility these days. According to Swedish
researcher Susanne Akesson, "dark and light patterns" are less attractive to pesky flies than either light or dark surfaces.
Perhaps a dual-color pattern confuses their navigational flight sense.
If this means that zebras will thrive for years to come, all well and good.
According to Ina Woolcott of shamanicjourney.com, they are "power animals" whose stripes "represent the blending and balancing of opposites, yin yang, harmony – enabling us to see a deeper truth."
Resources
http://www.nbcnews.com/#/science/science-news/why-do-zebras-have-stripes-mystery-solved-scientists-say-n68836
http://www.shamanicjourney.com/article/6062/zebra-power-animal-symbol-of-individuality-balance
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