這只小斑馬生來就有斑點(diǎn)而不是條紋

這只小斑馬生來就有斑點(diǎn)而不是條紋

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!

打電話給醫(yī)生，我們相愛了。有什么比馬更可怕的?斑馬。還有什么比斑馬更可愛呢?一個(gè)小斑馬。你知道什么更可愛嗎?一只斑點(diǎn)而不是條紋的斑馬寶寶!

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.

一只罕見的圓點(diǎn)斑馬幼崽在肯尼亞被發(fā)現(xiàn)(雙關(guān)語)，互聯(lián)網(wǎng)上正在瘋狂傳播。這只動(dòng)物已經(jīng)俘獲了很多人的心(包括我們的)，這只可愛的動(dòng)物的照片已經(jīng)在網(wǎng)上瘋傳。更重要的是，我們可能最終解決斑馬是帶黑色條紋的白色還是帶白色條紋的黑色這個(gè)古老的問題。

Photographers captured pictures of an adorable polka dot zebra in Kenya

攝影師在肯尼亞拍攝了一只可愛的圓點(diǎn)斑馬

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.

這只不同尋常的斑馬是在肯尼亞馬賽馬拉國(guó)家保護(hù)區(qū)被發(fā)現(xiàn)的，攝影師拉胡爾·薩赫德夫(Rahul Sachdev)和導(dǎo)游安東尼·提拉(Antony Tira)給它拍了幾張照片。

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.

來自馬提拉叢林營(yíng)地的野生動(dòng)物專家Parmale Lemein告訴《國(guó)家日?qǐng)?bào)》，這是馬拉保護(hù)區(qū)第一例波爾卡斑點(diǎn)斑馬的案例。斑馬寶寶很可能患有黑色素瘤，這是白化病的反義詞。然而，他也有一些不幸的消息:在過去的六個(gè)月里，在非洲的公園里，沒有類似的斑馬能在這種情況下存活下來。

Pictures of the baby zebra went viral online

這只小斑馬的照片在網(wǎng)上瘋傳

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.

根據(jù)一些科學(xué)家的研究，斑馬條紋是在黑色素分泌受到抑制時(shí)形成的，這意味著斑馬很可能是黑帶白條紋的動(dòng)物，而不是相反的情況。

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.

但是斑馬條紋并不只是為了炫耀?！渡羁茖W(xué)》雜志認(rèn)為，它們能幫助動(dòng)物在非洲的高溫下保持涼爽。也有理論認(rèn)為，條紋可以幫助斑馬躲避潛在的捕食者，也可以幫助它們避免被已知會(huì)傳播疾病的蒼蠅叮咬。