Chapter 1: The Mystery of Zebra Stripes

Why do zebras have their distinctive stripes? This age-old question has intrigued many, including Charles Darwin himself. Various theories have emerged over the years: stripes may serve as camouflage, create visual illusions to mislead predators like lions, or help regulate the animals’ body temperature. However, a team of biologists at UC Davis made a significant breakthrough in 2014, uncovering that zebra stripes effectively ward off aggressive, biting flies, many of which can transmit deadly diseases.

To delve deeper into this phenomenon, researchers aimed to understand how these stripes function in repelling flies. They conducted several experiments to track the behavior and flight patterns of flies as they approached zebras. Their findings, published in PLOS ONE, reveal that horseflies initially dart toward their striped hosts but, upon nearing them, collide so forcefully that they bounce off like small projectiles.

“Just as a controlled landing is crucial for an airplane, it’s equally important for flies,” explains Tim Caro, the study’s lead author and a behavioral ecologist at UC Davis. “They need to slow their descent to avoid injury. Stripes appear to interfere with this process.”

The team observed three captive plains zebras and nine horses at a facility in the United Kingdom. Their initial experiment involved placing zebras in one enclosure and horses in another, monitoring the number of flies attempting to land on each animal. Although both species attracted similar numbers of flies, a notable difference emerged: far fewer flies were able to settle on the zebras compared to the horses. This led Caro to speculate that flies struggle to perceive stripes from a distance and become disoriented as they close in.

Next, the researchers dressed both zebras and horses in fashionable striped coats to assess the flies' reactions. The results were telling; significantly fewer flies managed to land on the zebra-patterned coats than on the solid ones. Interestingly, flies had no difficulty alighting on the bare heads of horses clad in zebra coats, indicating that it is indeed the stripes causing the flies' confusion. (Of course, further investigation is needed to validate these findings, as this study involved a limited sample size. An ideal scenario would involve a larger group of zebras and horses in their natural African habitat rather than in the chilly UK.)

To further explore how stripes affect fly behavior, the researchers captured high-speed footage of the interactions. Caro noted that the critical moment occurred in the final 500 milliseconds before the flies made contact with zebra skin. “In that last half-second, they completely lost control,” he remarked. “They showed no deceleration, unlike how they would when landing on a horse.”

Other researchers have conducted similarly inventive studies exploring how biting flies react to stripes. For instance, a recent study demonstrated that striped body paint could shield humans from horseflies. This conclusion emerged from experiments involving life-sized mannequins coated in stripes and smeared with glue, placed in a field to observe which insects became stuck.

Nevertheless, much remains to be understood about how zebra stripes bewilder these tiny pests. Caro continues to ponder numerous questions: Do flies perceive stripes as gaps and attempt to fly through them? Do the stripes create optical illusions similar to a barber pole that incite panic in flies? Are models like Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner shielded by their zebra-print attire? Only additional research can provide clarity. “As is often the case in science, answering one question typically leads to three more,” he concludes.

Chapter 2: Video Insights into Zebra Stripes

Explore the intriguing question of why zebras have stripes in this video by Mike Fitz, which delves into the optical illusions created by these patterns.

Enjoy a retelling of the classic tale "How the Zebra Got His Stripes," narrated by Andrea Florens, adding a whimsical perspective to the topic.