New research published in the Journal of Natural History indicates that zebras’ stripes are used to control body temperature after all – and reveals for the first time a new mechanism for how this may be achieved.

The authors argue it is the special way zebras sweat to cool down and the small-scale convection currents created between the stripes which aid evaporation, while the previously unrecorded ability of zebras to erect their black stripes is a further aid to heat loss. These three elements are key to understanding how the zebras’ unique patterning helps them manage their temperature in the heat.

The findings have been published this month in the Journal of Natural History, the scientific publication of the British Natural History Museum, by amateur naturalist and former biology technician, Alison Cobb and her zoologist husband, Dr Stephen Cobb. Together, they have spent many years in sub-Saharan Africa, where he has directed environmental research and development projects.

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