By Jaime Herndon

We’ve all been there. A niece or nephew will ask you a question you just don’t know the answer to. You know, like: Why is the sky blue? or why do zebras have stripes?

Well, you’re in good company. While we will leave the blue sky question for another time, we finally have an answer for that gnawing zebra stripes questions. Or at least, the best answer so far. A new study in the Royal Society Open Science journal by Scientists at the University of California at Los Angeles explains it all has to do with temperature.

Yep, it’s the temperature! (Who knew?!)

The scientists looked at zebras in 16 different areas, and found differences in markings. Through studying environmental factors, they found that temperature correlated most strongly with stripe patterns. The scientists hypothesize that the stripes may be related to temperature regulation – the black stripes absorb the heat, the white reflect it.

Another group at the University of California at Davis suggested that the striping of zebras was related to disease-carrying biting flies – that perhaps zebras developed stripes to avoid these flies, or other predators. The scientists at UCLA didn’t find any evidence to support this, but did say that there are likely multiple factors in determining why zebras have stripes, and more research is needed.

So, Auntie – next time you get this question from a curious niece or nephew, there’s your answer! You’ve earned your zebra stripes!

Published January 20, 2015
Photo anankkml