Call the doctor, we’re in love. What’s more awesome than a horse? A zebra. And what’s cuter than a zebra? A baby zebra. Do you know what’s even cuter? A baby zebra with spots instead of stripes!
A rare polka dot baby zebra was spotted (pun intended) in Kenya, and the internet is going wild. The animal has already captured many a heart (ours included), and photos of the adorable creature have gone viral. What’s more, we might finally put to bed the age-old question of whether zebras are white with black stripes or black with white stripes.
Photographers captured pictures of an adorable polka dot zebra in Kenya
Image credits: Maasai Mara Wildlife Conservancies Association
Image credits: catersnews
Image credits: catersnews
The unusual zebra was seen in the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, where photographers Rahul Sachdev and Antony Tira, who is also a tour guide, snapped some photos of it.
Parmale Lemein, a wildlife specialist from the Matira Bush Camp, told the Daily Nation that this was the first such case of a polka dot zebra at the Mara Reserve. It’s most likely that the baby zebra has melanism, which is the opposite of albinism. However, he had some sad news: no similar zebras have survived past six months with such a condition in African parks.
Pictures of the baby zebra went viral online
Image credits: catersnews
Image credits: catersnews
Image credits: catersnews
According to some scientists, zebra stripes form when there’s an inhibition in melanin production, meaning that the animal is most likely black with white stripes and not the opposite.
But zebra stripes aren’t just for show. Live Science argues that they help the animals stay cool in the African heat. There are also theories that stripes help zebras hide from potential predators, and also help them avoid getting bitten by flies that are known to transmit diseases.
You can see the video of the beautiful baby zebra here
Image credits: Caters Clips
Dear Pandas, what do you think of the polka dot zebra? Do you think that zebras are white with black stripes or black with white stripes like some scientists argue? Let us know in the comments below.
The internet was instantly in love
Beautiful. I hope it has a long and healthy life
(Going to tell this story again, like I did on the last picture of zebras). Once in Iran a man asked me if I had seen Iran's famous white Zebras - pure white Zebras without the stripes. I said I never heard of them would love to see them....He took me to see some white donkeys.
During grad school I was studying elk herds in the Rockies and we would go out before daylight to place cameras. For the ones we set higher in the trees, we would use climbing treestands. One morning I was hiking into a place carrying my camera and stand and kept hearing something following me. Where I was you're thinking mountain lion so I had already accepted my fate. The weird thing was, every time I stopped, the thing following me would stop (every 50 yards or so I would stop). I made it to the tree I was to climb to mount a camera and take my treestand off my back. Turns out the 30 ft pull up rope I had attached to my stand had come undone and was dragging behind me.
Bravo,. Seriously, this is the best story. I feel like I've been there for some reason.
Seems you are not smart enough to realize you could see one of the most rare and endangered species. Let me ques, American- right...?! well, not surprised. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_onager
On the flip side, I can say it isn't surprising to see a non-American condescending to an American on BP. Plus, that was a little too damn aggressive for a comical post by Jon. There was simply no call for it. Furthermore, you do know there are nearly 9 million animal species on earth, right? So, I don't know that we should expect a person (American or not) to know all of them. I'm a wildlife biologist and still fairly unfamiliar with the Onager, so it would be silly and unreasonable for me to expect others to be familiar with every species of animal out there.
Farnaz, no offence, I've never heard of this very endangered species before. They do resemble donkeys. The guide may not have had the words to explain how rare they are. Thank you for bringing them to bored panda.
Awww can't scientist's come up with a miracle cure to extend its life 🤔❤️
I wish!
😭
You mean like Large Predator Repellent?
Some sort of jacket would probably do the trick.
Maybe a blaze orange vest
Perhaps talk to Foot Locker about a sponsorship.
Yeah they didn't say the cause of death. I doubt it's the melanism itself, probably they attract too much heat with darker colours and/or are easier to spot by predators
Awww... cutissima! Thank you!
Really cool pattern. At first I thought that madam Zebra had made friends with a certain Okapi until I read the article.
no, because an okapi is a giraffe relative-i had to Google about that...didn't say it could breed with a zebra
Ah okay. Lord Google does say they can't breed.
I've had a friend or two who thought I was trolling them when I told them about wanting to see live Okapis - aka: they thought I had photoshopped an animal and was essentially telling them "oh, I can't wait to see a unicorn-gryphon!", also thought I had just lost my mind and bought into some crazy urban legend - and lo and behold... we went to the San Diego Zoo a few years later... and all I could do was yell "SEE??? SEE??? I'm not CRAZY!"
Cool. I'd never heard of that so Googled it. What a cool looking creature. Thanks!
The spotted looks like those beautiful African tribe makeup, so cute!!
That zebra mum's got a lot of explaining to do to the dad lol Kinda looks half baby Tapir :O
well they are related to horses but also rhinos
It's a Morse's zebra- dot, dot, dash, dot, dot.
It's gorgeous, but it stands out, making it an easy target for predators :(
Im in school, really bored, and this is really beautiful and made my day! Thanks!!!
oml, this animal is the most adorable thing I've ever seen, and if anything happens to it I will cry
So zebras ARE black with white markings...
A precious baby!
Hope he stays safe from predators and Humans
catch it and take it to a place where it can't be hunted pls!! it's too beautiful and cute to die!!
It's a shiny!
I see a crazy safari tourist hunter coming around soon... The zebra should be kept away and, who knows, perhaps we could breed a newsubspecies.
Maury Povich - "you are not the father!!!!" .... Daddy Zebra - "I knew it, how could you!?" ... Mommy Zebra - "I'm so sorry, it was one time with Chester" ... Chester Cheetah - "It ain't easy bein' cheaty"
New comment as I have a question for any other biologists and/or science types out there. A Professor (so no, not a highschool or elementary school teacher... post-secondary education) recounted a story once wherein he had been out on some research trip and was wearing night vision goggles so he could observe some of the wildlife. He swore he was essentially alone with maybe on or two animals far-ish off in the distance, but then he felt something BUMP him... and it freaked him out so he (I can't remember the order) took pictures around himself - just in case he could catch the bumper - and then took off the goggles... and he found himself SURROUNDED by Zebras. He claimed something about the alternating pattern of their hides made them essentially 'invisible' to night vision??? (no, it was also not April 1 when he told us this)
I would say he just wasn’t paying attention. Zebras wouldn’t be invisible to NV anymore than a giraffe or lion. It would make more sense if their stripes were for camouflage (ex to hide from nocturnal predators), but they aren’t. Anyone else feel free to chime in as zebra aren’t in my area of expertise (mine is cervids), but I just don’t see any credence in the claim.
I would be interested to know what exactly it is that causes the shortened lifespan (other than something than predation)? What link does the hyper pigmentation have to the biological health of the animal?
As I said in my first comment to you, zebra stripes do more for propelling biting bugs than camouflage, so one theory could be they are less likely to repel bugs that carry equine influenza. Another theory would be they are more of a target for predators. Like I said, I’m a deer biologist primarily, so I don’t know that for sure. I have observed melanistic whitetail in the Edwards Plateau Eco Region and at least in their case, there is no higher mortality rate. Actually, in the EPER I mentioned before the abnormal production of melanin can be seen as an advantage as it hides them better from predators. Anyway, there is no physical difference between mammals with or without this mutation. So in my opinion, it just boils down to disadvantages in the forms I mentioned.
I'm so happy that it looks like the mother's accepted them!
It's Kevin Hart's Deerbra!!!
I wonder why that happened? It looks a lot like drawings of the horses’ ancestors, I wonder if that has something to do with it?
i hope it doesnt get bullied by other baby zebras, for being "different"...
That’s the real cause of its short lifespan
When I worked on a farm I was amazed that Holstein cow when shaved for c-section have white skin under black hair and black skin under white hair. I think the zebra could be the same. So where the baby zebra had white spots is black skin. So the fur is a white strip on black fur but the skin color is the opposite. Very confusing
And just who was the father, a leopard?
Awesome lil foal.....I hope no harm comes to him and grows to adulthood and makes more babies like him! Beautiful animal!
Looks like the Zebra mated with that other Antelope/Deer like creatcher with long horns.
Call him Morse code.
Name him Morse code ...
I know I've seen that pattern before, but I can't for the life of me remember in what species. A deer perhaps?
Her name is DEBRA
i'm italian, one of our all-time most popular female singers (Mina) hit the charts back in the '60s with what would soon be proving into an evergreen smash hit, "una zebra a pois" (polka-dot zebra). so the news of this spotted baby zebra was no big deal in italy ;D https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6njmjJhCXdo
It just upgraded from Code39 to 2D barcode..
Zebras are technically black with white stripes, because their skin is black in color.
(sorry if this is a dupe but can't find my original). His markings remind me a little of the Chital. I wonder is this is a case of inter-species matings? (rather than a reverse albinoism as someone suggested) I tried to post a picture but it wouldn't let me.
No. It’s from abnormal production of melanin. Changes in the coat color of mammals are (at least believed to be) mutations in the melanicortin 1 receptor gene. The mutated gene that causes melanism is recessive, just like the albinism. So technically it isn’t even “reverse albinism.”
There is an African animal called the Chital that looks surprisingly like this baby zebra (except for the stripes on the leg) Could this have been an inter-species match up? chital-5d8...b460b3.jpg
Let's hope they protect it, from hunters or predators. Then perhaps we can see if it's heritable
Very sweet, I do hope it lives to adult hood,as they said it may not !!!
Leopards can't change their spots but zebras can change their stripes ... apparently.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_onager
So beautiful. Thank you so much for taking those wonderful pictures and sharing them with us!
This solves everything. Zebras are black with white stripes. Or in this case... spots.
If I was the father, I'd be asking questions....
Stripes are so 2018, spots are up to date! 😄
When are they going on Maury? giphy-1.gif
I'm thinking the babe has cervid genes. Look at its eyes in bottom photo -- such a deer!
well.. that answer my question! They're browns with white stripes, not the other way around
I guess its parents didn't mated in front of the branches 😂
I hope it is protected for a hole trophy hunters whose eggplants arent big enough to satisfy them or anyone else. Let this sweetie live.
A new Zebroid species is born. There's an extinct species of Zebra called the Quagga that also looked very different.
Uh-oh, looks like Mrs Zebra has some explaining to do...
Cute
Bambi!!! What did you do????
Fuck this zebra.
it's khumba :)
It's so beautiful
I guess we finally know that it's black with white stripes (or spots) rather than white with black stripes.
so cute
This is the emergence of a new species if Darwin and Lamarck were here to see they would be proud of what nature has just created and are likely to spread the genes to the next generation.
That’s not how any of that works
The Maasai guide who found the foal has named her Tira, after his surname (his first name is Anthony). Realistically you cannot rescue all wild animals that have some sort of genetic mutation or injury, as appealing as it is to help them. Nature will have to take its course here, whatever it may be.
Even white zebra stripes are melting down. Any more proofs of climate change?
The worst possible thing for this creature is international awareness of its existence. Now its life is in great danger from poachers. God help this innocent, beautiful creature. Save it from us.
This is how evolution happens.
Maybe the beginning of a new kind of zebra. There used to be one called quagga in South Africa that was hunted to extinction (by European settlers). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quagga
That is a really pretty little zebra.I hope he lives long enough for us to see what he looks like when he's all grown up. I bet he'd be gorgeous!
Please make sure this precious baby is safe and looked after!
Oh poor Khumba
Ma must have had it off with an okapi
Yeah I was thinking... that baby ain’t gonna last long
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Even white zebra stripe are melting down. Any more proofs of climate change?
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
donna be speakin the truth
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
I have just one question, "who's your daddy?"
Beautiful. I hope it has a long and healthy life
(Going to tell this story again, like I did on the last picture of zebras). Once in Iran a man asked me if I had seen Iran's famous white Zebras - pure white Zebras without the stripes. I said I never heard of them would love to see them....He took me to see some white donkeys.
During grad school I was studying elk herds in the Rockies and we would go out before daylight to place cameras. For the ones we set higher in the trees, we would use climbing treestands. One morning I was hiking into a place carrying my camera and stand and kept hearing something following me. Where I was you're thinking mountain lion so I had already accepted my fate. The weird thing was, every time I stopped, the thing following me would stop (every 50 yards or so I would stop). I made it to the tree I was to climb to mount a camera and take my treestand off my back. Turns out the 30 ft pull up rope I had attached to my stand had come undone and was dragging behind me.
Bravo,. Seriously, this is the best story. I feel like I've been there for some reason.
Seems you are not smart enough to realize you could see one of the most rare and endangered species. Let me ques, American- right...?! well, not surprised. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_onager
On the flip side, I can say it isn't surprising to see a non-American condescending to an American on BP. Plus, that was a little too damn aggressive for a comical post by Jon. There was simply no call for it. Furthermore, you do know there are nearly 9 million animal species on earth, right? So, I don't know that we should expect a person (American or not) to know all of them. I'm a wildlife biologist and still fairly unfamiliar with the Onager, so it would be silly and unreasonable for me to expect others to be familiar with every species of animal out there.
Farnaz, no offence, I've never heard of this very endangered species before. They do resemble donkeys. The guide may not have had the words to explain how rare they are. Thank you for bringing them to bored panda.
Awww can't scientist's come up with a miracle cure to extend its life 🤔❤️
I wish!
😭
You mean like Large Predator Repellent?
Some sort of jacket would probably do the trick.
Maybe a blaze orange vest
Perhaps talk to Foot Locker about a sponsorship.
Yeah they didn't say the cause of death. I doubt it's the melanism itself, probably they attract too much heat with darker colours and/or are easier to spot by predators
Awww... cutissima! Thank you!
Really cool pattern. At first I thought that madam Zebra had made friends with a certain Okapi until I read the article.
no, because an okapi is a giraffe relative-i had to Google about that...didn't say it could breed with a zebra
Ah okay. Lord Google does say they can't breed.
I've had a friend or two who thought I was trolling them when I told them about wanting to see live Okapis - aka: they thought I had photoshopped an animal and was essentially telling them "oh, I can't wait to see a unicorn-gryphon!", also thought I had just lost my mind and bought into some crazy urban legend - and lo and behold... we went to the San Diego Zoo a few years later... and all I could do was yell "SEE??? SEE??? I'm not CRAZY!"
Cool. I'd never heard of that so Googled it. What a cool looking creature. Thanks!
The spotted looks like those beautiful African tribe makeup, so cute!!
That zebra mum's got a lot of explaining to do to the dad lol Kinda looks half baby Tapir :O
well they are related to horses but also rhinos
It's a Morse's zebra- dot, dot, dash, dot, dot.
It's gorgeous, but it stands out, making it an easy target for predators :(
Im in school, really bored, and this is really beautiful and made my day! Thanks!!!
oml, this animal is the most adorable thing I've ever seen, and if anything happens to it I will cry
So zebras ARE black with white markings...
A precious baby!
Hope he stays safe from predators and Humans
catch it and take it to a place where it can't be hunted pls!! it's too beautiful and cute to die!!
It's a shiny!
I see a crazy safari tourist hunter coming around soon... The zebra should be kept away and, who knows, perhaps we could breed a newsubspecies.
Maury Povich - "you are not the father!!!!" .... Daddy Zebra - "I knew it, how could you!?" ... Mommy Zebra - "I'm so sorry, it was one time with Chester" ... Chester Cheetah - "It ain't easy bein' cheaty"
New comment as I have a question for any other biologists and/or science types out there. A Professor (so no, not a highschool or elementary school teacher... post-secondary education) recounted a story once wherein he had been out on some research trip and was wearing night vision goggles so he could observe some of the wildlife. He swore he was essentially alone with maybe on or two animals far-ish off in the distance, but then he felt something BUMP him... and it freaked him out so he (I can't remember the order) took pictures around himself - just in case he could catch the bumper - and then took off the goggles... and he found himself SURROUNDED by Zebras. He claimed something about the alternating pattern of their hides made them essentially 'invisible' to night vision??? (no, it was also not April 1 when he told us this)
I would say he just wasn’t paying attention. Zebras wouldn’t be invisible to NV anymore than a giraffe or lion. It would make more sense if their stripes were for camouflage (ex to hide from nocturnal predators), but they aren’t. Anyone else feel free to chime in as zebra aren’t in my area of expertise (mine is cervids), but I just don’t see any credence in the claim.
I would be interested to know what exactly it is that causes the shortened lifespan (other than something than predation)? What link does the hyper pigmentation have to the biological health of the animal?
As I said in my first comment to you, zebra stripes do more for propelling biting bugs than camouflage, so one theory could be they are less likely to repel bugs that carry equine influenza. Another theory would be they are more of a target for predators. Like I said, I’m a deer biologist primarily, so I don’t know that for sure. I have observed melanistic whitetail in the Edwards Plateau Eco Region and at least in their case, there is no higher mortality rate. Actually, in the EPER I mentioned before the abnormal production of melanin can be seen as an advantage as it hides them better from predators. Anyway, there is no physical difference between mammals with or without this mutation. So in my opinion, it just boils down to disadvantages in the forms I mentioned.
I'm so happy that it looks like the mother's accepted them!
It's Kevin Hart's Deerbra!!!
I wonder why that happened? It looks a lot like drawings of the horses’ ancestors, I wonder if that has something to do with it?
i hope it doesnt get bullied by other baby zebras, for being "different"...
That’s the real cause of its short lifespan
When I worked on a farm I was amazed that Holstein cow when shaved for c-section have white skin under black hair and black skin under white hair. I think the zebra could be the same. So where the baby zebra had white spots is black skin. So the fur is a white strip on black fur but the skin color is the opposite. Very confusing
And just who was the father, a leopard?
Awesome lil foal.....I hope no harm comes to him and grows to adulthood and makes more babies like him! Beautiful animal!
Looks like the Zebra mated with that other Antelope/Deer like creatcher with long horns.
Call him Morse code.
Name him Morse code ...
I know I've seen that pattern before, but I can't for the life of me remember in what species. A deer perhaps?
Her name is DEBRA
i'm italian, one of our all-time most popular female singers (Mina) hit the charts back in the '60s with what would soon be proving into an evergreen smash hit, "una zebra a pois" (polka-dot zebra). so the news of this spotted baby zebra was no big deal in italy ;D https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6njmjJhCXdo
It just upgraded from Code39 to 2D barcode..
Zebras are technically black with white stripes, because their skin is black in color.
(sorry if this is a dupe but can't find my original). His markings remind me a little of the Chital. I wonder is this is a case of inter-species matings? (rather than a reverse albinoism as someone suggested) I tried to post a picture but it wouldn't let me.
No. It’s from abnormal production of melanin. Changes in the coat color of mammals are (at least believed to be) mutations in the melanicortin 1 receptor gene. The mutated gene that causes melanism is recessive, just like the albinism. So technically it isn’t even “reverse albinism.”
There is an African animal called the Chital that looks surprisingly like this baby zebra (except for the stripes on the leg) Could this have been an inter-species match up? chital-5d8...b460b3.jpg
Let's hope they protect it, from hunters or predators. Then perhaps we can see if it's heritable
Very sweet, I do hope it lives to adult hood,as they said it may not !!!
Leopards can't change their spots but zebras can change their stripes ... apparently.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_onager
So beautiful. Thank you so much for taking those wonderful pictures and sharing them with us!
This solves everything. Zebras are black with white stripes. Or in this case... spots.
If I was the father, I'd be asking questions....
Stripes are so 2018, spots are up to date! 😄
When are they going on Maury? giphy-1.gif
I'm thinking the babe has cervid genes. Look at its eyes in bottom photo -- such a deer!
well.. that answer my question! They're browns with white stripes, not the other way around
I guess its parents didn't mated in front of the branches 😂
I hope it is protected for a hole trophy hunters whose eggplants arent big enough to satisfy them or anyone else. Let this sweetie live.
A new Zebroid species is born. There's an extinct species of Zebra called the Quagga that also looked very different.
Uh-oh, looks like Mrs Zebra has some explaining to do...
Cute
Bambi!!! What did you do????
Fuck this zebra.
it's khumba :)
It's so beautiful
I guess we finally know that it's black with white stripes (or spots) rather than white with black stripes.
so cute
This is the emergence of a new species if Darwin and Lamarck were here to see they would be proud of what nature has just created and are likely to spread the genes to the next generation.
That’s not how any of that works
The Maasai guide who found the foal has named her Tira, after his surname (his first name is Anthony). Realistically you cannot rescue all wild animals that have some sort of genetic mutation or injury, as appealing as it is to help them. Nature will have to take its course here, whatever it may be.
Even white zebra stripes are melting down. Any more proofs of climate change?
The worst possible thing for this creature is international awareness of its existence. Now its life is in great danger from poachers. God help this innocent, beautiful creature. Save it from us.
This is how evolution happens.
Maybe the beginning of a new kind of zebra. There used to be one called quagga in South Africa that was hunted to extinction (by European settlers). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quagga
That is a really pretty little zebra.I hope he lives long enough for us to see what he looks like when he's all grown up. I bet he'd be gorgeous!
Please make sure this precious baby is safe and looked after!
Oh poor Khumba
Ma must have had it off with an okapi
Yeah I was thinking... that baby ain’t gonna last long
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Even white zebra stripe are melting down. Any more proofs of climate change?
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
donna be speakin the truth
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
I have just one question, "who's your daddy?"