![]() The functional significance of the unique high-contrast black and white stripes of zebra species is a subject of considerable debate. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Ĭompeting interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. įunding: Funding was provided by the Wenner Gren Foundation ( ) to ADM, the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada to ADM ( ), the National Geographic Society ( ) to TC and University of California Davis to TC. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.ĭata Availability: Most data is in the paper and Supporting Information files S3 Dataset is hosted at the Harvard Dataverse. Received: SeptemAccepted: DecemPublished: January 22, 2016Ĭopyright: © 2016 Melin et al. PLoS ONE 11(1):Įditor: Daniel Osorio, University of Sussex, UNITED KINGDOM In conclusion, compared to the uniform pelage of other sympatric herbivores it appears highly unlikely that stripes are a form of anti-predator camouflage.Ĭitation: Melin AD, Kline DW, Hiramatsu C, Caro T (2016) Zebra Stripes through the Eyes of Their Predators, Zebras, and Humans. Zebras appear to be less able than humans to resolve stripes although they are better than their chief predators. Stripes confer a minor advantage over solid pelage in masking body shape in woodlands, but the effect is stronger for humans than for predators. ![]() In open treeless habitats where zebras spend most time, zebras are as clearly identified by the lion visual system as are similar-sized ungulates, suggesting that stripes cannot confer crypsis by disrupting the zebra’s outline. On moonless nights, stripes are difficult for all species to resolve beyond ca. 50 m (daylight) and 30 m (twilight) zebra stripes are difficult for the estimated visual systems of large carnivores to resolve, but not humans. We also measured stripe widths and luminance contrast to estimate the maximum distances from which lions, spotted hyaenas, and zebras can resolve stripes. We evaluated this hypothesis by passing digital images of zebras through species-specific spatial and colour filters to simulate their appearance for the visual systems of zebras’ primary predators and zebras themselves. It was, indeed, a dog running towards the camera.The century-old idea that stripes make zebras cryptic to large carnivores has never been examined systematically. However, a closer examination revealed that they had made a mistake in their judgement. Those who initially saw the photograph concluded it was merely a man wandering through the woods with a fuzzy hood. ![]() People, on the other hand, couldn’t distinguish if it was a man walking through the woods or a dog sprinting ahead. Someone was standing on the ground, and there appeared to be snow everywhere. Quite recently, another photo, shared by Atlantic CEO Nick Thompson, went viral on Twitter owing to its unique optical illusion. Zebras are walking in shallow water, and their shadow is falling on it due to sunlight, giving the impression that the shadow is an animal. When you zoom in or look closely at the photo, you can see that it is not a black animal, but rather a shadow, with zebras moving right next to it. The animals are seen walking on a desert.They aren’t, however, horses. Many netizens are unclear as to whether the horses in the photograph were running through the desert or if they were Zebras.īeverly Joubert shared the picture on Instagram in 2018 with the caption: “Where shadows become the solid form and striped backs are lost in the light.” Although this photo was taken a few years ago, it often trends on social media.Īnimals in silhouette, which look like zebras to a few and horses to others, confuse the netizens. ![]() While many were confused about what the correct answer is, others have a hilarious take on the situation. The photo has started a debate whether zebras or horses have been captured on camera. The social media users are now getting confused over an old photoĬaptured by renowned wildlife photographer and conservationist Beverly Joubert. When it comes to puzzles, games and optical illusions, social media users are always up to the task. ![]()
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