Why Zebras Have Stripes

New research supports the theory that stripes help zebras avoid nasty flies. 

Ever since Charles Darwin, scientists have wondered about the reason zebras have stripes, how stripes might benefit the animals. Theories that the stripes offer zebras camouflage to help them avoid predators or to help them keep cool in the hot African sun or to help them identify each other have not been supported by the evidence.

In 2012 Swedish researchers suggested another theory—that the stripes help the zebras to avoid nasty flies that often carry fatal diseases. These researchers used horse models painted black and white to determine if flies would avoid them. Now scientists at the U. of California, Davis have done additional research that tends to support the Swedish study.

In their own study the California researchers examined the areas in the world where zebras live as well as where the flies live to see if the locations overlapped. They did. “I was amazed by our results,” said lead author UC-Davis’s Tim Caro, a wildlife biologist. “Again and again, there was greater striping on areas of the body in those parts of the world where there was more annoyance from biting flies.”

This conclusion logically leads to the question of why stripes would repel flies. It seems the flies like to mate and lay their eggs on stretches of water. To do this they look for horizontally polarized light reflected from water. Zebra stripes reflect polarized light differently, and thus the flies are not attracted to the animals. 

More research needs to be done, however. The bug repellant theory needs to be tested in the wild. Also, scientists need to consider the problem of the odors zebras emit, which seemingly could cancel out the benefits of the stripes.

Science writer April Reese asks, “Could zebra stripes have evolved to keep the animals free from suffering the bites of those very same flies, which can carry fatal diseases?” This raises the question of reasonableness. Could either the stripe-less zebras or natural selection be smart enough to know about polarized light and the advantages of stripes in repelling biting flies?

Evolutionists sometimes have used the example of a monkey at a typewriter to try to prove that given enough time evolution can accomplish anything. If a monkey is allowed to type randomly on a typewriter’s keys, given enough time it would eventually, by means of trial and error, come up with a coherent sentence or even an error-free paragraph or perhaps eventually a whole book, if given an eternity of time. However, this example has a major flaw. If the monkey had to remove the sheet of paper from the typewriter and drop it into the waste basket each time it makes a mistake, pretty soon the waste basket, the floor and then the whole building and finally the whole neighborhood would be littered with piles of discarded sheets of paper, piles that might in time reach to the moon. 

So, where are evolution’s mistakes? Where are the zebras who died because they didn’t evolve stripes? Where are the giraffes who died out before they could evolve an efficient circulation system? Where are the migrating birds which went extinct because they hadn’t yet learned how to migrate? If we can’t find them in the fossil record, where are examples of evolution’s mistakes in the modern world? There should be tons of them.

It seems much more reasonable to credit the zebra’s stripes to an intelligent Creator who got it right the first time. God makes no mistakes (Leviticus 19:2). He didn’t have to use the trial and error method in creating any of the living things we see around us. As for our mistakes (a.k.a. sins), God made no mistake in providing us a means of escaping the punishment we deserve because of our sins. He knows we are incapable of saving ourselves. Therefore He sent His own Son down to earth to suffer the punishment we deserve and make it possible to look forward to spending eternity in heaven.

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).

Reference: April Reese, “Why Do Zebras Have Stripes? Riddle Finally Solved,” Discover Magazine

PRINT (Black type on white background)
  
**************************************

Want to be automatically notified each time there is a new post? Just e-mail your request to admin@lutheranscience.org].

****************************************

QUESTION OF THE DAY

What trick might make it easier to fit a nut into a tight space?

Place a piece of masking tape over one end of a box-end wrench. Then insert the nut so it sticks to the adhesive side of the tape. The tape should hold the nut while you place it in the proper location inside the narrow space.

Source: American Profile (March, 9-15, 2014)

****************************************

NOTE ON VISITOR COMMENTS: Visitor comments are invited including those containing alternate views. However, comments containing profanity, personal attacks or advertisements will not be published. After posting a comment, please allow several hours for it to appear on the blog.