In other words, for zebras, the animals' default state is to produce black hair, making them black with white stripes, according to Brittanica. The production of melanin from melanocytes is "prevented during the development of a white hair, but not of a black hair," Caro told Live Science in an email. So the answer actually depends on who you ask and how you want to look at a zebra. Others would say that a zebra is black because if you shaved all the fur off a zebra the skin is, surprisingly, mostly black. Zebras' black fur is chock-full of melanin, but melanin is absent from white fur, in essence, because the follicles that make up the stripes of white hair have "turned off" melanocytes, meaning they don't churn out pigment. Many zoologists would say that a zebra is white because its stripes end towards the belly and the belly is mostly white. This pigment is known as melanin a lot of melanin leads to darker colors, like dark brown or black, while less melanin leads to lighter colors, such as hazel or blond, Live Science previously reported. Many zoologists would say that a zebra is white because its stripes end towards the belly and the belly is mostly white. Thats because if you look at most zebras, the stripes end on their belly. These cells produce a pigment that determines the color of hair and skin. Zebras are generally thought to have white coats with black (sometimes brown) stripes. The one little zebra said ' We are white with black stripes.' The other zebra said 'how do you know that.' Then the little zebra said, ' Well if we were black with. Here's why: Every piece of hair - both light and dark - grows from a follicle filled with melanocyte cells, according to a 2005 review in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. The two little zebras went to the Zebra of the wise and asked, 'Are we black with white stripes, or white with black stripes' The Zebra of the wise replied ' We are who we are.'. In fact, zebras actually have more light-colored hair than dark - their bellies are usually light - so it may seem that zebras are white with black stripes.īut that's not the case. Although zebras have black skin, different developmental processes determine their fur color, just like a light-skinned person can have dark hair, Caro said.
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