![]() ![]() “This animal is different from most others that have been described as pseudo-melanistic”, Professor Barsh added. Professor Barsh is an expert on the genetic mechanisms that underlie differences in individual appearance, a specialty that provides important insights into basic biology as well as human disease. ![]() “I do not know the origin of the term pseudo-melanism, but I think it is fair to say that is a popular and undefined term, used to refer to very rare animals that exhibit an apparent abnormality in the stripe pattern process such that light stripes are excluded from much of the trunk and back, but are more common on the extremities”, said geneticist Greg Barsh, a faculty investigator at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology and a Professor Emeritus at Stanford University. Newborn black zebra foal with white polka-dots (and a few partial stripes) spotted in Maasai Mara … Frank Liu Tira realized he was looking at a newborn zebra with a pigment disorder. “I was confused when I first saw it.”Īfter carefully studying the foal, Mr. Tira told the Daily Nation, a Kenyan newspaper. “At first, I thought it was a zebra that had been captured and painted or marked for purposes of migration,” Mr. This rare black zebra foal was first spotted and photographed early one fine September morning near the Mara River by Antony Tira, a respected Maasai tour guide and photographer at the Matira Bush Camp in the Reserve. This is the first time that this unusual pattern has ever been seen among zebras in the Maasai Mara. ![]() Rare Zebra Foal - With Polka-Dots!! - Spotted In Kenya | newborn zebra foal with bizarre polka-dot markings has recently been photographed in the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. This portrait … Frank Liuīy GrrlScientist, Senior Contributor Science There is no proof that the animals were captured for sale.White polka-dotted black zebra foal spotted in Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. However the photos don't match up and apparently it is another spotted foal from South Africa. Now that would be something that scientists would love to be able to observe.Īfter Tira made a sensation on the internet it was rumored that he and his mother had been caught and were being sold. While the future doesn't look too bright for Tira, it is possible that he could survive to be accepted by his herd as an adult and go on to mate. It is also believed that zebras evolved to have stripes because it helps prevent the equines from being bitten by flies which can carry disease. Having a different appearance from the other members of the herd makes it much easier for predators to target them. That is because they are less likely to survive in the wild. You may wonder why we don't hear much about these animals and they age and reproduce. For some reason, in these mutated animals, the melanin their bodies produce is not normal, which results in varying colors and patterns. In most zebras cells called melanocytes, which regulate pigment, is distributed evenly through out their skin. Tracking these differences by researchers is important to science to observe and record changes in species over time. Other genetic mutations can create other changes in appearance to a zebra, such as partial albinism which will give a zebra faded-looking stripes. This causes the animals to show an abnormal stripe pattern. Tira and other foals like him that have been found in different parts of Africa are born with a condition known as pseudomelanism. It does occur from time to time among zebras. This natural genetic mutation is not exactly new. The base coat is a reddish brown instead of black, and most of the white is a festive array of polka dots. As Liu said, the foal actually looks like it could be an entirely new species. Naturally the photos hit the internet and he(?) became an instant hit. This adorable little equine has been named Tira by Anthony Tira, a Maasai guide who discovered the animal. He had actually gone out to photograph rhinos but found something far more intriguing to aim his camera at. One little dotted zebra foal was spotted in Kenya last year at the Maasai Mara National Reserve by photographer Frank Liu. I know you've heard tell of the "horse of a different color." What about a zebra of a different stripe? Yes, it is true that not all zebras have stripes. ![]()
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