Why do zebras have stripes? [File, Reuters]Scientists are providing new evidence to answer the longstanding question about why zebras have stripes. “Most biologists involved with research on mammal coloration accept that this is the reason that zebras have stripes.” African horse flies carry diseases such as trypanosomiasis and African horse sickness that cause wasting and can be fatal. The researchers videoed horse flies as they tried to prey on captive zebras and domestic horses at a livery in North Somerset, England. Stripes did not deter flies from a distance, as they circled horses and zebras at similar rates.

Source: Standard Digital February 21, 2019 08:03 UTC