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Regarding zebra stripes, the exact biological processes are still unknown. Thus it can be said that the default state of a zebra is to produce black hair, which makes it black with white stripes. This pigment is known as melanin, whose abundance leads to darker colors such as dark brown or black, while a little melanin produces lighter colors such as blond, for example.Īlthough the black fur of a zebra is rich in melanin, the follicles responsible for white hair inactivate melanocytes, which means that they do not produce the pigment melanin.
#Are zebras white with black stripes or skin
Mountain zebras are endangered (Getty Images)Ĭaro explains that different growth processes affect the color of the fur, just as people with fair skin can have dark hair.īy analogy, it can be said that zebras have light hair, and their stomachs are often covered with light hair to appear white with black stripes ending on the abdomen and towards the inner part of the legs, and the rest appear in white.Īccording to a review in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, each hair strand, whether light or dark, grows from follicles filled with melanocytes that produce a pigment that determines the color of hair and skin. Tim Caro, a behavioral and evolutionary ecologist and biologist at the University of California, Davis, has shown that all zebras of all types and colors have the same skin color, which is black.īut what about the fur, is it also black with white stripes, or vice versa, and what does the melanocytes have to do with it? In an initiative by a group of people in South Africa, the “Kwaja” project was launched in 1987 with the aim of restoring the extinct kouga zebra and reintroducing it to sanctuaries there, as the project workers seek to restore the genes responsible for at least the distinctive planning pattern in the kwaga through selective breeding with A group of zebras selected from the southern plains. In an extinct species of zebra living in the plains, it was called "Quagga". These types are distinguished from each other by a different planning pattern, where the dark parts of the skin of some are black, while others are distinguished by brown skin, and the location of the lines varies. In fact, the pattern and color of the stripes varies with the type of zebra.Ī report published by "Live Science" website indicated that there are 3 species of zebras living today, including the plains zebra, the mountain zebra and the Grevy's zebra (imperial). Have you ever wondered what the basic color of a zebra's skin is whether it is white with black stripes or vice versa, especially since this color contrast is most evident in dry grasslands of brown and green?