Tim Caro

Zebra Stripes Tim Caro

Countless children s books pose the question, Why do zebras have their stripes? Many a researcherfrom Darwin and Wallace to T. M. Carohas attempted to answer the same. Zebra stripes are visually arresting, and scientifically perplexing. Their high contrast is unlike anything else found in mammals. Some have hypothesized that the coloration is an anti-predator defense, to confuse lions that approach a herd of stripes. The stripes aren t likely camouflage or crypsis, which has also been proposed, as zebras are easy to see in the wild, and their movements and tail swishing are obvious at even a distance. The animals themselves seem to use other cues for recognition, so the stripes don t seem to be individual identifiers for the zebras themselves. T. M. Caro, who has been studying zebras for several decades, thinks the stripes may be nature s defense against insect bites There is greater striping in areas of the body in regions of greater fly population. Zebra hair is shorter than a fly s mouthpart, making them more susceptible to the irritation caused by the fly s bite. Researchers have since been studying the flies too, to figure out how the stripes don t serve as fly runways. This is a work that explores the various hypotheses for the existence of zebra stripes, and also shares experiences of field based research. The book allows readers to see how ideas are shaped by research, and influenced by observation and experiment alike. Over 18 serious hypotheses are considered, and herds more of outlandish ideas are touched upon as well. The answer is not so black and white, but the question involves terrific science. "