Spotted (Not Striped) Zebras (Pseudomelanism)

[Lord Lucan]

Rare polka-dotted zebra foal photographed in Kenya

What a cute little fellow...

Talk about a horse of another color—a zebra foal with a dark coat and white polka dots has been spotted in Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve.

Photographer Frank Liu was on the search for rhinos recently when he noticed the eye-catching plains zebra, likely about a week old. “At first glance he looked like a different species altogether,” Liu says. Antony Tira, a Maasai guide who first spotted the foal, named him Tira.

https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/tech...-zebra-foal-photographed-in-kenya/ar-AAHytRd?

 

[EnolaGaia]

This recent Snopes article provides an overview of the phenomenon, additional links to other reports (with photos), and mentions of earlier pseudomelanistic zebras discovered in the wild.

It also discusses the disadvantages the oddly-pigmented zebra faces. In some cases the foal is shunned by the normally-striped zebras. It's unclear to what extent the aberrant pattern wards off dangerous parasites and / or negates any camouflage advantage.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/zebra-dots-instead-of-stripes/

 

[EnolaGaia]

Here' a 2014 case from Botswana.

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The article in which this photo appears notes:

There have been at least three other dark zebras born like this in the area however none of them have reached more than 6 months old with the last foal born of this kind facing its demise to hyenas within a few months.

SOURCE: https://africageographic.com/blog/black-baby-zebra/