Why are zebras striped? A centuries-old theory called "motion dazzle" may hold the key.
If a zebra zigs, will its stripes make a predator zag? That’s the idea behind motion dazzle, a century-old hypothesis about why some animals sport high-contrast patterns. Unlike camouflage, which allows prey to blend into surroundings, motion dazzle may mask movement, confusing predators about direction and speed. “We have all these ideas about animal patterns,” says Cambridge University biologist Laura Kelley, “but very few of these hypotheses have actually been tested.”!
To find out whether patterns make prey difficult to catch, Kelley and her colleagues have developed an online game with humans as the predators. Dazzle Bug players try to nab patterned “bugs” skittering across natural backgrounds. The easy-to-catch critters disappear; the evasive ones reproduce. Eventually only the hardest-to-catch patterns remain. Says Kelley, “We’re trying to determine the ideal pattern for avoiding capture during movement.”
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