Photos of a young Zebra at the Maasai Mara Reserve in Kenya has gone viral following its unique stripes which is different from the wild life’s distinctive black-and-white striped coats.
Antony Tira, the renowned guide who shared photos of the young Zebra named ‘Tira’ said he thought it was deliberately painted for purposes of migration.
“At first I thought it was a zebra that had been captured and painted or marked for purposes of migration. I was confused when I first saw it,” he told Nation.
However Zoologists have revealed that the Zebra which was one week old when the photos were taken has a rare melanin disorder. Zebras are orgininally not black and white animals, their stripes are simply an adaptation of nature.
The default colour of a zebra is black but the white stripes are formed from the inhibition of melanin. It is an adaptation of nature which scientists believe is meant to keep insects at bay, as the monochrome pattern seems to throw off the visual systems of flies.
Here are more photos below;
