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A28 SCIENCE
Monday 25 February 2019
Why do zebras have stripes? Perhaps to dazzle away flies

By DANICA KIRKA could be dressed up and
Associated Press closely observed to test the
LONDON (AP) — Zebra theory.
stripes are dazzling — par- "It's one of those pieces of
ticularly to flies. research that you say, 'why
That's the conclusion of sci- hasn't someone done this
entists from the University before?'" said Tim Wood-
of Bristol and the University fine, the director of conser-
of California at Davis who vation at Marwell Wildlife in
dressed horses in black- southern England. He did
and-white striped coats to not take part in the study.
help determine why zebras "It's simple and neat. I think
have stripes. it's a great piece of work,"
The researchers found that he said.
fewer horseflies landed on How, an expert on animal
the cloaked horses than vision, told The Associated
on the ones without striped Press on Thursday there are
coats, suggesting that ze- reasons to be "quite ex-
bra stripes may offer pro- cited" about the research,
tection from blood-sucking which he said helps sci-
insects that can spread dis- entists understand what's
ease. happening in the mind of
"This reduced ability to land a fly.
on the zebra's coat may be The insights have broader
due to stripes disrupting the In this undated photo issued by University of Bristol, England, showing a horse wearing a zebra implications for technol-
visual system of the horse striped coat. ogy such as driverless cars,
flies during their final mo- Associated Press which are inspired by insect
ments of approach," said vision. If stripes disrupt a fly,
Martin How, a research fel- both types of animals. But and Conservation Biology. British naturalist Alfred Rus- they might also disrupt a
low at the University of Bris- when the flies got closer, "This indicates that stripes sel Wallace. driverless car's systems, ac-
tol. "Stripes may dazzle flies things get dicey. The flies may disrupt the flies' abili- But the scientists from Brit- cording to How.
in some way once they are landed less frequently on ties to have a controlled ain and California sought "What we needed to do is
close enough to see them the zebras and the horses landing." to examine that question get our mind into the eye
with their low-resolution covered in striped coats. The work , reported in the by studying both horses of the fly," How said. "They
eyes." "Once they get close to journal Public Library of Sci- and zebras at the Hill Liv- have very different eyes
From a distance, the flies the zebras, however, they ence ONE, seeks to answer ery in Britain, which works from us." "We've been ar-
were equally attracted to tend to fly past or bump one of the oldest questions with zoos in Europe on con- guing about zebra stripes
both horses and zebras, into them," said Tim Caro, a in zoology — why do zebras servation for zebras. That for 75 years," said McAlister,
with the same number of professor in the U.C. Davis have stripes? Charles Dar- provided a controlled en- who was also not involved
insects hovering around Department of Wildlife, Fish win had his theories. So did vironment where the horses in the study.q

Tortoise feared extinct found

on remote Galapagos island

LIMA, Peru (AP) — A living breeding center for giant breeding.
member of species of tor- tortoises on Santa Cruz Is- "They will need more than
toise not seen in more than land where it will stay in a one, but females may store
110 years and feared to be specially designed pen. sperm for a long time," said
extinct has been found in a The International Union for Stuart Pimm, a professor of
remote part of the Galapa- Conservation of Nature conservation ecology at
gos island of Fernandina. has the Fernandina Giant Duke University. "There may
An adult female Chelo- Tortoise listed as critically be hope."
noidis phantasticus, also endangered and possibly Fernandina is the third larg-
This photo release by the Galapagos National Park, shows a
Chelonoidis phantasticus tortoise at the Galapagos National known as the Fernandina extinct. est Galapagos island and
Park in Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, Wednes- Giant Tortoise, was spot- The only other living mem- features the La Cumbre
day, Feb. 20, 2019. ted Sunday by a joint ex- ber of the species was volcano, one of the most
Associated Press pedition of the Galapagos found in 1906, the group active in the world. The ar-
National Park and the U.S.- said. Since then, expedi- chipelago lies in the Pacific
based Galapagos Con- tions have encountered Ocean about 1,000 kilome-
servancy, Ecuador's Envi- tortoise scat and bite marks ters (620 miles) off Ecua-
ronment Ministry said in a on cacti, and there was a dor's mainland.
statement. possible unconfirmed sight- In listing the Fernandina tor-
Investigators think there ing in 2009. toise as possibly extinct, the
may be more members of But Sunday's discovery was conservation group said on
the species on the island the first confirmed sight- its website that the species
because of tracks and scat ing and together with the may have succumbed to
they found. The team took possibility of finding more "the frequent volcanic lava
the tortoise, likely more members of the species flows that nearly cover the
than 100 years old, to a has raised the possibility of island."q