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Zebra Stripes
From eminent biologists like Alfred Russel Wallace and Charles Darwin to famous authors such as Rudyard Kipling in his Just So Stories , many people have asked, “Why do zebras have stripes?” There are many explanations, but until now hardly any have been seriously addressed or even tested. In Zebra Stripes , Tim Caro takes readers through a decade of painstaking fieldwork examining the significance of black-and-white striping and, after systematically dismissing every hypothesis for these markings with new data, he arrives at a surprising zebra markings are nature’s defense against biting fly annoyance.
Popular explanations for stripes range from camouflage to confusion of predators, social facilitation, and even temperature regulation. It is a serious challenge to test these proposals on large animals living in the wild, but using a combination of careful observations, simple field experiments, comparative information, and logic, Caro is able to weigh up the pros and cons of each idea. Eventually—driven by experiments showing that biting flies avoid landing on striped surfaces, observations that striping is most intense where biting flies are abundant, and knowledge of zebras’ susceptibility to biting flies and vulnerability to the diseases that flies carry—Caro concludes that black-and-white stripes are an adaptation to thwart biting fly attack. Not just a tale of one scientist’s quest to solve a classic mystery of biology, Zebra Stripes is also a testament to the tremendous value of longitudinal research in behavioral ecology, demonstrating how observation, experiment, and comparative research can together reshape our understanding of the natural world.
Popular explanations for stripes range from camouflage to confusion of predators, social facilitation, and even temperature regulation. It is a serious challenge to test these proposals on large animals living in the wild, but using a combination of careful observations, simple field experiments, comparative information, and logic, Caro is able to weigh up the pros and cons of each idea. Eventually—driven by experiments showing that biting flies avoid landing on striped surfaces, observations that striping is most intense where biting flies are abundant, and knowledge of zebras’ susceptibility to biting flies and vulnerability to the diseases that flies carry—Caro concludes that black-and-white stripes are an adaptation to thwart biting fly attack. Not just a tale of one scientist’s quest to solve a classic mystery of biology, Zebra Stripes is also a testament to the tremendous value of longitudinal research in behavioral ecology, demonstrating how observation, experiment, and comparative research can together reshape our understanding of the natural world.
- GenresEcology
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2016
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February 7, 2021
Why do Zebras have stripes?
This question has fascinated researchers for years but Tim Caro has exhaustively tested multiple hypotheses in the field. Are stripes for camouflage? For social recognition? To provide thermal benefits under the hot African sun? Or to help reduce biting flies?
Caro's book is a dense compilation of all of his various experiments. The conclusion is that the beautiful stripes of Zebras have evolved in response to some biting flies, particularly Tabanids (horse and deer flies). These biting flies are attracted to dark surfaces and the combination of white and black stripes "confuses" the flies who generally do not land and bite Zebras. Various experiments confirm this, and spatial analysis shows that striping is strongest in Zebra relatives that co-occur with African Tabanids. What would be the selective pressure for striping? Tabanids are not just annoying biting flies, they also spread some serious diseases. If survival is greater in striped animals, then stripes will be selected for. And why do other large mammals in Africa not have stripes? Zebras have shorter fur hence have less protection from biting flies.
Caro has written an extremely detailed book but it is not an easy read. This is a technical treatise that is a casebook example of how complex evolutionary questions can be tested in the field. Highly recommended for evolutionary biologists.
This question has fascinated researchers for years but Tim Caro has exhaustively tested multiple hypotheses in the field. Are stripes for camouflage? For social recognition? To provide thermal benefits under the hot African sun? Or to help reduce biting flies?
Caro's book is a dense compilation of all of his various experiments. The conclusion is that the beautiful stripes of Zebras have evolved in response to some biting flies, particularly Tabanids (horse and deer flies). These biting flies are attracted to dark surfaces and the combination of white and black stripes "confuses" the flies who generally do not land and bite Zebras. Various experiments confirm this, and spatial analysis shows that striping is strongest in Zebra relatives that co-occur with African Tabanids. What would be the selective pressure for striping? Tabanids are not just annoying biting flies, they also spread some serious diseases. If survival is greater in striped animals, then stripes will be selected for. And why do other large mammals in Africa not have stripes? Zebras have shorter fur hence have less protection from biting flies.
Caro has written an extremely detailed book but it is not an easy read. This is a technical treatise that is a casebook example of how complex evolutionary questions can be tested in the field. Highly recommended for evolutionary biologists.
Displaying 1 of 1 review