Concordance on zebra stripes

Abstract

The functional significance of the extraordinary black and white stripes of zebras is still mysterious but now an active field of research. Four major hypotheses have been put forward: stripes are an antipredator defence operating through crypsis [1]or confusion of predators [2], are a means of reinforcing social bonds [3], are defence against ectoparasites [4] or are a means of cooling zebras [5]. Now, in the second multifactorial analysis of striping in zebras to date, Larisonet al.[6] investigated the environmental factors that explain geographical variation in striping within a single species, the plains zebra (Equus quaggaorEquus burchellii)