ArticlePloS one2016
Zebra Stripes through the Eyes of Their Predators, Zebras, and Humans.
Article in PloS one, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 18 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed.
- Fine stripe patterns disrupt honey bee landings via spatial aliasing.Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology · 2026Article
- Perceiving zebra rump stripes "through the eyes of" their predators: A study with human observers.Perception · 2026Article
- Zebra stripes: the questions raised by the answers.Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society · 2025Review
- A model of colour appearance based on efficient coding of natural images.PLoS computational biology · 2023Article
- Why don't horseflies land on zebras?The Journal of experimental biology · 2023Article
- Sunlit zebra stripes may confuse the thermal perception of blood vessels causing the visual unattractiveness of zebras to horseflies.Scientific reports · 2022Article
- The giant panda is cryptic.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Zebra stripes, tabanid biting flies and the aperture effect.Proceedings. Biological sciences · 2020Article
- LionsAnimals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2020Article
- Striped bodypainting protects against horseflies.Royal Society open science · 2019Article
- Article
- How conspicuous are peacock eyespots and other colorful feathers in the eyes of mammalian predators?PloS one · 2019Article
- Article
- Cattle selectivity by leopards suggests ways to mitigate human-leopard conflict.Ecology and evolution · 2018Article
- Experimental evidence that stripes do not cool zebras.Scientific reports · 2018Article
- 3D Camouflage in an Ornithischian Dinosaur.Current biology : CB · 2016Article
- Zebras and Biting Flies: Quantitative Analysis of Reflected Light from Zebra Coats in Their Natural Habitat.PloS one · 2016Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The century-old idea that stripes make zebras cryptic to large carnivores has never been examined systematically. We evaluated this hypothesis by passing digital images of zebras through species-specific spatial and colour filters to simulate their appearance for the visual systems of zebras' primary predators and zebras themselves. We also measured stripe widths and luminance contrast to estimate the maximum distances from which lions, spotted hyaenas, and zebras can resolve stripes. We found that beyond ca. 50 m (daylight) and 30 m (twilight) zebra stripes are difficult for the estimated visual systems of large carnivores to resolve, but not humans. On moonless nights, stripes are difficult for all species to resolve beyond ca. 9 m. In open treeless habitats where zebras spend most time, zebras are as clearly identified by the lion visual system as are similar-sized ungulates, suggesting that stripes cannot confer crypsis by disrupting the zebra's outline. Stripes confer a minor advantage over solid pelage in masking body shape in woodlands, but the effect is stronger for humans than for predators. Zebras appear to be less able than humans to resolve stripes although they are better than their chief predators. In conclusion, compared to the uniform pelage of other sympatric herbivores it appears highly unlikely that stripes are a form of anti-predator camouflage.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.