A rare albino zebra has been spotted in Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. Without the black and white stripes, which the species is known for, the foal Ndasiata is seen roaming around in a field in a video shared by the park on Instagram. While a few faint black and white stripes can be spotted on the foal’s neck, head and body, white fur cover the rest of its body. It is seen moving through a field along with another zebra in the video.
Watch the video:
The caption of the post reads, “A young zebra with albinism called “Ndasiata” is still roaming in Serengeti plains!” The video was shared by serengeti_national_park, the Instagram handle, two days ago.
Netizens were astonished to watch the clip and some users even raised concerns over its survival. “Astonishing great work this is so beautiful would really love to see itc,” commented a user.
As per The Daily Mail report, the rare zebra is believed to be eight months old and was spotted in the national park’s eastern part along with a herd of zebra.
Scientists have put forward several reasons behind the presence of stripes in zebras. One idea suggests that the stripes create an optical illusion and help zebras camouflage themselves from predators. Another theory is that the stripes help the animals regulate their body temperature.
A study in 2019 put forth the idea that the stripes create an optical illusion for blood-sucking flies and other parasites, thus preventing an attack from them. Meanwhile, yet another idea suggests that the stripes are similar to human fingerprints, distinguishing one zebra from another.
