Baby Zebra with Spots
A zebra foal with an unusual coat was spotted in the Maasai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya. The baby zebra’s coat is mostly black. And it is sporting spots instead of stripes. (1)
Antony Tira, who is a guide on the reserve, is the person who first discovered the zebra foal. He named it Tira, for his last name. He posted a photo of the spotted baby zebra on the reserve’s Facebook page, bringing quite a bit of attention on social media. (1)
“At first I thought it was a zebra that had been captured and painted or marked for purposes of migration. I was confused when I first saw it,” Tira told the Daily Nation, a Kenyan newspaper. (1)
When Tira saw the unique foal, it was about a week. He described it as seeming weak, and it stuck close to an adult female zebra, who was probably its mother. (1)
Pseudomelanism
Tira the baby zebra is the first recorded to have such a coat at Massai Mira. But there have been foals with similar coats at Okavango Delta in Botswana. (2)
According to Ren Larison, a biologist, these foals have a condition called “pseudomelanism”. It is a genetic mutation that causes abnormalities in a zebra’s stripe pattern. Larison is studying the evolution of zebras’ stripes at the University of California, Los Angeles. (2)
Underneath their coats, zebras have dark skin. Skin cells called melanocytes transfer melanin to some of their hair, causing the striped pattern. Hairs that receive melanin are black, and those that do not are white. At times, a genetic mutation will change the distribution of melanin so that a zebra does not have stripes, as in Tira’s case. (3)
“There are a variety of mutations that can disturb the process of melanin synthesis, and in all of those disorders, the melanocytes are believed to be normally distributed, but the melanin they make is abnormal,” Greg Barsh, a geneticist at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, told National Geographic in an email. (2)
The Purpose of Stripes
Scientists are not completely sure of why zebras have stripes, but they do have some ideas. Some proposals are temperature regulation and confusing predators. Another suggestion is that they deter biting flies, which may not like landing on stripes. (2)
These flies can carry diseases, such as equine influenza. And without stripes, Tira might not be able to repel them as effectively as zebras with more typical coats. (2)
Tira’s Future
The unique baby zebra will need to overcome other challenges because of her unusual coat. While other zebras blend in with each other while they are in a herd, Tira will stand out more to predators, making her easier to target. (2)
“I have seen several photos of foals with this specific pattern over the years, but only one photo—from the ‘50s—in which the individual was either a juvenile or adult,” Larison told National Geographic. (2)
However, if Tira can overcome these difficulties, it is likely that she will have a place in her herd. In cases of other zebras with aberrant coloring, they were able to form normal relationships with other zebras and even mate. (2)
For now, Tira is receiving quite a bit of attention. Tourists have flocked to the Maasai Mara Game Reserve to see and photograph her. (1)
