While it is annoying, how could a horsefly be harmful to a zebra?ĥ. In what way did this finding connect to both science and history?ġ. How would you set up an experiment to see if stripes repel mosquitos from biting you?Ĥ.

Why do you think the zebra developed defenses against flies as opposed to something like mosquitos?ģ. From this article, which hypotheses failed because of a lack of evidence?Ģ. Mike Szydlowski is science coordinator for Columbia Public Schools.ġ. One thing we do now know: if you happen to live somewhere where there are a lot of horseflies, you can try to wear a wild striped coat to ward them off. That might also ward off some of your friends too!

There is a lack of research, but that means it is wide open for you to test if you want - though it will likely be a very itchy experiment. In other words, do mosquitos get confused by stripes as much as flies do? It is unclear if the flight mechanisms of mosquitos are the same as those in flies. Zebra stripes evolved in Africa to defend mostly against horseflies. There is something that points to this not working as well, though. More: Understanding the evolution of today's watermelon Mosquito control?Ĭould we start wearing striped clothing to cut down on the number of mosquito bites we get in summer? There does not seem to be a study on this, so it is possible. It appears that ancient humans were already well aware of the benefits of striped skin. The results were clear: there were 10 times fewer horse-fly bites on the painted mannequins compared to the unpainted ones. Could it have been to keep biting insects away? To test this idea, scientists bought mannequins and left some alone while painting others with markings similar to the tribal paintings. It was unclear the exact purpose of the body painting. Historians note that some ancient human populations in Africa, Australia and Asia had consistent body painting traditions. Sure enough, the flies were attracted to the horse but, when some got close, they became so confused that they could not safely land. In another study, scientists put a striped coat on a horse and monitored the flies. However, as the flies approached the zebra, their flight became erratic - and they either flew right past the zebra or bumped into and off the zebra. At the same time, flies safely landed and started biting the horses. The stripes had no impact on keeping flies away. From a distance, flies started advancing to the horse and zebra at the same rate. Scientists tested this idea by using very high-powered video cameras to monitor flies in a field with both horses and zebra. They are still very attracted to the zebra but, when they get close, they tend to lose control or crash into the zebra instead of safely landing for a bite. It turns out that blood-sucking insects, particularly the horse-fly, become completely confused by the patterns on the zebra. More: Our bodies need to experience pain - here's why Built-in bug repellent Therefore, the stripes most certainly evolved because of some benefit they gave the zebra. Remember, though, the animal or evolution does not select what is best. The best traits get passed down more because that animal lived long enough to reproduce. Natural selection simply means the traits that favor a greater chance of survival are passed down more than the traits that decrease chances of survival. So what is the function of the stripes? All animal species evolved over millions of years, and the features each species has are a result of many generations of natural selection. Scientific testing found no evidence to support this. Identification - The idea was that the stripes are like our fingerprint, and were used to tell one another apart. Temperature regulation - That didn’t hold up to testing either, and seemed to make little to no difference compared to all white or all black bodies. The different hypotheses include:Ĭamouflage - However, predators seemed to find them just fine in all tested settings. The function of zebra stripes have been debated for quite some time.

Humans with stripes