Zebra stripes and their role in dazzling flies

The mystery of why zebras have their characteristic stripes has perplexed researchers for over a century. Over the last decade, Professor Tim Caro at the University of Bristol's School of Biological Sciences has examined and discredited many popular theories such as their use as camouflage from predators, a cooling mechanism through the formation of convection currents and a role in social interactions. Stripes acting to confuse predators is another common explanation, but it too is flawed when looking at the scientific data. Instead, mounting evidence suggests that it is parasitic flies that are confounded by the zebra's distinctive patterning. In a new paper published today in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B , Bristol scientists have now provided significant depth to this hypothesis by narrowing down the possible mechanism. Previously, the same researchers had shown that blood-sucking horseflies would approach horses in striped rugs as often as plain rugs, but then failed to land or slow down when they got close. Essentially, stripes dazzled the flies, forcing them to collide with the skin or fly away altogether.