这只小斑马生来就有斑点而不是条纹

这只小斑马生来就有斑点而不是条纹

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!

打电话给医生，我们相爱了。有什么比马更可怕的?斑马。还有什么比斑马更可爱呢?一个小斑马。你知道什么更可爱吗?一只斑点而不是条纹的斑马宝宝!

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.

一只罕见的圆点斑马幼崽在肯尼亚被发现(双关语)，互联网上正在疯狂传播。这只动物已经俘获了很多人的心(包括我们的)，这只可爱的动物的照片已经在网上疯传。更重要的是，我们可能最终解决斑马是带黑色条纹的白色还是带白色条纹的黑色这个古老的问题。

Photographers captured pictures of an adorable polka dot zebra in Kenya

摄影师在肯尼亚拍摄了一只可爱的圆点斑马

Image credits: Maasai Mara Wildlife Conservancies Association

Image credits: catersnews

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.

这只不同寻常的斑马是在肯尼亚马赛马拉国家保护区被发现的，摄影师拉胡尔·萨赫德夫(Rahul Sachdev)和导游安东尼·提拉(Antony Tira)给它拍了几张照片。

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.

来自马提拉丛林营地的野生动物专家Parmale Lemein告诉《国家日报》，这是马拉保护区第一例波尔卡斑点斑马的案例。斑马宝宝很可能患有黑色素瘤，这是白化病的反义词。然而，他也有一些不幸的消息:在过去的六个月里，在非洲的公园里，没有类似的斑马能在这种情况下存活下来。

Pictures of the baby zebra went viral online

这只小斑马的照片在网上疯传

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.

根据一些科学家的研究，斑马条纹是在黑色素分泌受到抑制时形成的，这意味着斑马很可能是黑带白条纹的动物，而不是相反的情况。

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.

但是斑马条纹并不只是为了炫耀。《生活科学》杂志认为，它们能帮助动物在非洲的高温下保持凉爽。也有理论认为，条纹可以帮助斑马躲避潜在的捕食者，也可以帮助它们避免被已知会传播疾病的苍蝇叮咬。