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Zebras are famous for their black and white stripes, but for several years scientists have noticed that some animals have strange spots and patterns and also have golden skins.
Such changes, caused by genetic mutations, are rarely seen in mammals, prompting a new study on why zebras are changing.
A team from the University of California, Los Angeles, conducted DNA tests on 140 plain zebras, including seven with strange patterns, from nine national parks in Africa.
An unusually high number (an estimated 5 percent) of plains zebras living near Lake Mburo in Uganda exhibited abnormal stripes. https://t.co/FPeQhAxlYD
– National Geographic Magazine (@NatGeoMag) January 22, 2021
They found that isolated populations produced an unnatural abstraction as a result of inbreeding, which is due to the fragmentation of the habitat of humans who have taken over the land.
Lack of genetic diversity can lead to genetic defects, disease, and sterility, which can eventually lead to the extinction of common zebras, which are the least threatening of the species, but their population has declined by 25% since 2002.
During this time, experts and conservationists noticed abnormal patterns between them, but weren’t sure if they were related to the site or the genes.
According to National Geographic, some 500,000 zebras in Africa have been affected by habitat fragmentation caused by human development, such as the construction of fences, roads and buildings.
This forces the animals to live in smaller areas and prevents them from migrating with different herds, which is important for genetic diversity.
“Although zebras on the plains are not highly threatened, these genetic problems often arise before the really troublesome things start to happen,” Brenda Larison of the University of California told National Geographic.
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The iconic zebra stripes are designed to serve as camouflage as they roam the open plains, but those born with strange patterns are more obvious to predators.
But Larrison is more concerned with the animal’s genetic health, which could lead to a new subspecies of zebra.
Lack of genetic diversity can also lead to genetic defects, disease, and ultimately infertility, which can lead to their extinction.
Desire Dalton, who studies wildlife genetics at the South African National Biodiversity Institute in Pretoria, said this could wreak havoc on hundreds of other zebras.
Conservationists transfer zebras to breed with other populations, and if a new group of breeds is transferred to mate with normal zebras, anomalies will appear in their offspring.
“You have to be really sure what population groups you can mix in,” Dalton said.
Source: Daily Mail
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