A rare polka-dotted zebra foal named Tira, standing close to its mother in the Maasai Mara reserve

[mahatmakanejeeves]

A rare polka-dotted zebra foal named Tira, standing close to its mother in the Maasai Mara reserve in Kenya. Photo by Yasuyoshi Chiba.

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[liberalla]

1. Beautiful

[Cracklin Charlie]

2. Will it develop stripes as it matures?

Looks like the spots may come together to form stripes.

Fascinating

[Whatthe_Firetruck]

15. It's melanistic, like a black panther...

It's probably as stripey as it will ever get.

[DFW]

3. There are few things as cool as a non-conformist zebra

Like a fawn I expect the coloring will change with maturity.l To WHAT, though, I wouldn't hazard a guess.

[Paladin]

4. I hope the other young zebras treat this one well.

That sort of deviation from the norm---as beautiful as it is---would make a young human's life a living hell.

[calimary]

5. That's not a zebra. That's a work of art!

Absolutely AMAZING!!!

[mollie8]

6. Amazing!

Thank you!

[Escurumbele]

7. Should have been named Morse.

[bluboid]

8. gorgeous! thanks for posting!

[PortTack]

9. What a beautiful little girl!

[Stuart G]

10. Wonderful...K and R

[Grumpy Old Guy]

11. Very cool!

[LTG]

12. Genetic mutation of melanin gene

Condition is called pseudomelanism And it seems dots will stay as she matures. Fortunately zebras are very accepting of zebras with abnormal appearances.

Only danger to her survival is potentially from mosquito borne disease. Many scientists believe the stripes protect the zebras by confusing them and affecting their ability to “stick” their landings.
(Can’t take credit for the joke. Saw it online.)

[burrowowl]

14. Thanks!

[robbob]

22. I remember that cat video;

The cat with a rare pigmentation condition which caused it to turn, over the course of many years, from a white cat with black markings into a black cat with white patches. Or was it the other way around? Anyway, the photos documenting the changes over time were just stunning!

[burrowowl]

13. Wow! How did that happen and how often?

[Jack the Greater]

16. What evolutionary advantage does black and white stripes confer to a grazing animal stalked

by lions?

[Jack the Greater]

17. Answered my own question

From The BBC: The truth behind why zebras have stripes

[I_UndergroundPanther]

18. Tira looks so amazingly cool.

Wonder if they bred her and started a herd of spotted zebras?

[Faux pas]

19. Kickety Kickin'

[niyad]

20. Just. . .WOW. Thank you so much.

[jaxexpat]

21. Cool