Are Zebra Stripes Simply Stylish Fly Repellant?

 

Ever wondered why zebras are so uniquely striped? There have been many theories about their stripes suggested over the years, from camouflage to nature's way of allowing these beautiful animals to express their virileness or individuality, or even that a herd of vibrantly striped zebra galloping by, might make predators dizzy! 

The latest idea is that the stripes are a sophisticated form of fly repellant! It was originally dreamed up in the 1980s, but never proved. Now a team of investigators, led by Gabor Horvath of Eotvos University in Budapest, report in the Journal of Experimental Biology that they think they have proven this theory.

The original suggestion was that stripes repel tsetse flies. These insects carry sleeping sickness, which is as much a bane to zebras as it is to people. But tsetses are not the only dipteran foes of zebra and, since they are rarely found in the meadows of Hungary, Dr Horvath plumped for studying an almost equally obnoxious alternative: the horsefly - with very interesting results!

Maybe rug manufacturers need to look into developing a light weight summer combo, in zebra stripe pattern for our horses? This may be one sure fire way to stop them being plagued by flies in summer!

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• Read more about the study at www.economist.com