There is nothing more fun then going to a zoo, am I right? You’ve got your lions, tigers, and bears (OH MY!), but even better, you have your zebras. Is it just me or is it every time I see those four-legged creatures I always ask myself “Are Zebras white with black stripes or black with white stripes?” This has been an ongoing controversial question which has been roaming the minds of humans for decades.

We all know that genetics are the reason why everyone and everything living is different. For zebras, these genetics are used to determine the “variety of stripes in zebras”(Conger1). Along with genetics, the striping pattern on a zebra is also determined with selective pigmentation(Conger 1). Finally there are things called melanocytes which are “the cells that produce color or pigment” on the fir of zebras(Understanding 1). Melanocytes give the zebras their colors.

When asked the question “Are Zebras white with black stripes or black with white stripes?”, Lisa Smith, Curator of Large Mammals at Zoo Atlanta, replied that “the coat is often described as black with white stripes”(Conger 1). She begins to go on saying that the pattern of the stripes are an outcome of pigment activation (black) and inhibition (white)(Conger 1). This phenomenon is stating that the color of the fur is black and the stripes are white because the white stripes lack pigment, unlike the black stripes; With that being said, it is known that most, NOT ALL, zebras have black skin beneath their fur(Conger 1). So, isn’t it obvious that zebras are black with white stripes?

When others are asked “Are Zebras white with black stripes or black with white stripes?”, they give a different response. Some say that zebras are white with black stripes. Just from examining a zebra, you can see the alternating stripes end on the belly and near the inside of the legs, leaving the rest of the body to be white(Mammals 1). So from just looking at a zebra, it looks like they are white skinned. This theory has also been confirmed from any zoologists. After surveying 20 of my random friends, different sex, race, etc., 14 of them said that zebras are white with black stripes. So, most people think that zebras are white with black stripes just from looking at one. So, isn’t it obvious that zebras are white with black stripes?

You could see if zebras are white with black stripes or black with white stripes by looking at their genetics. Besides that, you could take a survey, like I did, to see what people think. The survey may not be strong enough to get a definite answer, but it could help to get to the real answer. There would be many third confounding variables such as the amount of people you ask and the background/features of the people you are interviewing. For example, a persons sex, race, location, knowledge, eyesight, age, etc. There are so many things that could skew the results, making it easy to have the data be found do to chance.

So, are zebras white with black stripes or black with white stripes?

Works Cited

Conger, Cristen. “Are Zebras Black with White Stripes or White with Black Stripes? – HowStuffWorks.” HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2014.

“Mammals | Zebra.” Zebra. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2014.

“Understanding Genetics.” Understanding Genetics. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2014.