At least most people are aware that zebras have black and white stripes. Tira, a young zebra, has a rather distinct appearance.
Tira was born with just a few faint stripes across his legs and a black coat covered in white polka dots.
The tiny foal was first spotted last Friday by Antony Tira, a guide in the Maasai Mara region of Kenya. The next day, photographer Frank Liu went out with his camera to search for rhinos — but ended up finding Tira instead.
“I felt like I was looking at a different species,” Liu told The Dodo. “He was stunning and stood out significantly from the zebras. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him the entire time I saw him.
Tira, who is less than two weeks old, is still clinging to his mother, according to Liu.
“There were other herd members around and did not seem to mind him too much,” Liu said.
Tira’s unique look is due to a genetic mutation, according to Brenda Larison, zebra expert and adjunct professor at UCLA.
“This particular variation is pretty uncommon, but they do pop up from time to time,” Larison told The Dodo. “I’ve seen several photos of this type over the years.”
But this is the first time a zebra like Tira has been spotted in the Maasai Mara, Liu said — so Tira is getting plenty of attention.
When I got there, I was merely driving another car,” Liu claimed. “Around 30 minutes later, a dozen cars were racing in from all sides. I made the decision to leave Tira alone at that point.
While Tira’s unusual coloring will make it harder for him to hide with the rest of his herd, everyone’s hoping the little calf will stay safe and healthy.
The ability to protect themselves from predators owing to predator disorientation, also known as the dazzle effect, is a plausible function of zebra herds, which may be aided by their striped appearance, according to Larison. “It makes it challenging for predators to choose a victim. Because they stand out in the group, oddballs are simpler for predators to target.
But for the time being, Tira has many people watching out for him and supporting him from all across the world.
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