Peter-PP

All white stripeless baby zebra

A white stripeless baby zebra baffles scientists. Poor thing will be number one target for predators and poachers.

White baby zebra

Scott L

looks cute. I find it unusual an anamoly as simple as no stripes baffles scietists.

Julie K

It said rangers are baffled by it. I rather doubt that scientists would be baffled. There's even a name for it:

sport # An organism that shows a marked change from the normal type or parent stock, typically as a result of mutation.

This is a driving force of evolution. If this zebra were born in an environment where all white zebras had an advantage we would soon see herds of all white zebras. Likely he wasn't born in such an environment and will soon be food for something, which is why we don't see herds of all white, or black, or brown, or long-furred, etc, zebra.

\"I have the heart of a child. I keep it in a jar on my shelf.\"
\"The power of accurate observation is frequently called cynicism by those who don\'t have it.\"

MarkHastings

The article also says "Experts". I would assume an expert would be a scientist? Unless they mean they're experts in something else.

The photo is odd, look how fury the zebra is. Are the black and white stripes (on a zebra) the color of the skin or fur? Maybe this zebra has black stripes under the fur?

Or maybe it's a publicity stunt for the band "White Stripes" Does evolution happen so drastically like that? I would think it would happen much slowly (i.e. we'd see a zebra with grey stripes first)

EDIT: After watching the video, the news reporter says something like "if you look closely though, it looks like there's a little grey striping on him". I'd guess there's the possibility of black stripes under all that hair.

Julie K

Well, I'm sure the rangers are experts at being rangers...

Of course, another explanation for "baffled" is:
Q: Mr scientist, what caused this white zebra?
A: Well, it's some sor

The inevitable headline "Scientists don't know what caused white zebra!


It most certainly can.

Hornless sheep, hairless cats, Scottish fold cats, goldfish, golden corydora catfish, long-haired fallow deer....

All these are examples of animals that would have been difficult for humans to produce by simple crossbreeding. Instead we have these types of animals because of genetic sports appearing and then a person recognizing them, protecting them, and encouraging their continued reproduction.

It also happens in plants. A habanero chile pepper grower had an acre or so of the normal orange variety. He wasn't getting much money from his crop so he decided to plow them under. He noticed one plant with red habaneros. He kept that one and propagated it. This is now the famous (in chile pepper circles) Red Savina habanero. It is much hotter than the original variety and breeds true. It too is a genetic sport - the chances of humans breeding such a pepper are small.

\"I have the heart of a child. I keep it in a jar on my shelf.\"
\"The power of accurate observation is frequently called cynicism by those who don\'t have it.\"

Keith Mickunas

I have a photo here and I think it makes it pretty clear that zebra stripes are definitely part of the fur.

I don't think a white zebra is really a sign of evolution. It's a fluke thing, like an albino animal. Nor would you expect to see grey stripes on a zebra as a step in this direction. If there are grey stripes on this zebra they are probably made by real thin or sparse black stripes in the main white coat.

Julie K

That's what mutations are - fluke things. If the fluke thing is beneficial, then natural selection will favor those with the mutated gene. It not, then the individual will not pass on their genes.

Evolution is the change of organisms over time. Random genetic mutations are a part of that. The appearance of genetic sports is indeed a glimpse into one of the factors that drive evolution.

However, unless that little zebra is protected, it's likely to become someone's lunch. So I doubt we'll see herds of white zebras anytime in the future.

BTW, there are several varieties of zebra across Africa. Some have brownish shadow stripes between the black stripes and some are much closer to being brown and black instead of white and black.

\"I have the heart of a child. I keep it in a jar on my shelf.\"
\"The power of accurate observation is frequently called cynicism by those who don\'t have it.\"

Holadem

Have you not watched X-Men?

In anycase, I would say mutation, not evolution. Methinks we have evolution when said mutation results in a new population.

--
H

Julie K

Which is why I called it a force of evolution.

The most common forces of evolution are:
Natural Selection
Gene Flow
Mutation
Genetic Drift
and Migration.

As I said, the appearance of a mutation like a white zebra is one of the forces of evolution.

\"I have the heart of a child. I keep it in a jar on my shelf.\"
\"The power of accurate observation is frequently called cynicism by those who don\'t have it.\"

Holadem

Sorry, I was responding to Mark and didn't see your reply.

--
H