This Baby Zebra Was Born With Spots Instead Of Stripes

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

This Baby Zebra Was Born With Spots Instead Of Stripes

Image credits: catersnews

This Baby Zebra Was Born With Spots Instead Of Stripes

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

This Baby Zebra Was Born With Spots Instead Of Stripes

Image credits: catersnews

This Baby Zebra Was Born With Spots Instead Of Stripes

Image credits: catersnews

This Baby Zebra Was Born With Spots Instead Of Stripes

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

This Baby Zebra Was Born With Spots Instead Of Stripes

Storytelling, journalism, and art are a core part of who I am. I've been writing and drawing ever since I could walk—there is nothing else I'd rather do. My formal education, however, is focused on politics, philosophy, and economics because I've always been curious about the gap between the ideal and the real. At work, I'm a Senior Writer and I cover a broad range of topics that I'm passionate about: from psychology and changes in work culture to healthy living, relationships, and design. In my spare time, I'm an avid hiker and reader, enjoy writing short stories, and love to doodle. I thrive when I'm outdoors, going on small adventures in nature. However, you can also find me enjoying a big mug of coffee with a good book (or ten) and entertaining friends with fantasy tabletop games and sci-fi movies.

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I'm a Visual Editor at Bored Panda since 2017. I've searched through a multitude of images to create over 2000 diverse posts on a wide range of topics. I love memes, funny, and cute stuff, but I'm also into social issues topics. Despite my background in communication, my heart belongs to visual media, especially photography. When I'm not at my desk, you're likely to find me in the streets with my camera, checking out cool exhibitions, watching a movie at the cinema or just chilling with a coffee in a cozy place

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What do you think ?

POST

Night Owl 5 years ago

Beautiful. I hope it has a long and healthy life

26points

Jon S. 5 years ago

(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.

17points

Dr.Scott 5 years ago (edited)

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.

14points

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Desiré Yen 5 years ago

Awww can't scientist's come up with a miracle cure to extend its life 🤔❤️

16points

Jonas Grinevičius (Post author) Premium 5 years ago

I wish!

12points

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Grumble O'Pug 5 years ago

You mean like Large Predator Repellent?

5points

M O'Connell 5 years ago

Some sort of jacket would probably do the trick.

3points

Leilani Vaughan-Williams 4 years ago

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

0points

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POST

Night Owl 5 years ago

Beautiful. I hope it has a long and healthy life

26points

Jon S. 5 years ago

17points

Dr.Scott 5 years ago (edited)

14points

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Desiré Yen 5 years ago

Awww can't scientist's come up with a miracle cure to extend its life 🤔❤️

16points

Jonas Grinevičius (Post author) Premium 5 years ago

I wish!

12points

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Grumble O'Pug 5 years ago

You mean like Large Predator Repellent?

5points

M O'Connell 5 years ago

Some sort of jacket would probably do the trick.

3points

Leilani Vaughan-Williams 4 years ago

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

0points

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