Why do zebras have black and white stripes? Scientists think it is "mosquito repellent".
CTOnews.com, February 23, Why do zebras have black and white stripes? According to a recent research paper published in the journal Journal of Experimental Biology, zebra fur has fine stripes and a clear outline that can stop the attack of horse flies.
CTOnews.com learned from the Phys.Org report that the paper believes that these characteristics of zebras reduce the attractiveness of horse flies through the contours of large monochromatic dark spots. The team speculates that thin-backed stripes help minimize the chance of being bitten by horse flies.
After testing, the team found that tabanid horseflies (gadfly, commonly known as horsefly) was more interested in large dark objects in the environment and less interested in black and white patterns.
