We can use this field to our advantage, because an abnormality in zebra development can point to what is the “default” setting of the animal. Teratology is the study of physiological abnormalities during the life history or development of an individual. So, in order to get to the bottom of the issue, we must instead ask: do a zebra’s stripes result from the inhibition or deposition of melanin? If the genes activate the deposition of melanin, the fur will be black or brown, and if the genes inhibit the deposition of melanin, the fur will be white.
#Are zebras white with black stripes or skin#
As seen in humans, the amount of melanin deposited into your skin or hair, if any, can be regulated by gene expression. Most of it is due to melanin, a pigment made of smaller component molecules and deposited by melanocytes in the bottom layer of the skin. Let’s first of all examine how dark color and pigmentation occur in mammals. As Gould states in his essay mentioned above, “mammals do not have their colors painted on a white background.” This, however, is not very good evidence, because many animals that are not necessarily white have white or lighter underbellies. I learned once upon a time that zebras are white with black stripes, because a zebra’s underbelly is white. In other words, a normal zebra is born with stripes, so we cannot use the argument that, say, if it is born all black and forms white stripes during maturation, a zebra is black with white stripes. On the bottom row are an extinct descendant of Plains Zebras, called Quagga, which Darwin refers to many times in his work.Ī zebra’s stripes form during the early embryonic stages of its life. The main species that are around today are: Grevy’s Zebra, the Mountain Zebra, and the Plains Zebra, shown in the top row of the picture below.
Race and cultural context have no place in science.įirst of all, what is a zebra? Anyone will notice that they closely resemble horses or donkeys, but only a little more “exotic.” In truth, zebras are one of the oldest members of the family Equidae, the “horse” family.
Stephen Jay Gould, in his essay “ How the Zebra Gets Its Stripes,” states that “most African people regard zebras as black animals with white stripes,” whereas I, a typical white American, have always intuitively perceived zebras as white animals with black stripes.Īlthough the question is a tough one to answer, and one that many people will answer with “Can’t the black and white stripes just coexist in harmony?”, a better, scientific answer must exist somewhere. Many of us settle for an answer that is directly tied to racial preference. At some point in our lives, especially when we are younger and more curious, all of us ponder this question.
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