A spotted zebra in the Serengeti

spotted zebra

The photographer Frank Liu made an amazing discovery in September in the Maasai Mara: a zebra foal with a spotted coat pattern. This zebra baby was christened Tira and probably suffers from a disease called pseudomelanism, a rare genetic mutation in which animals show an anomaly in their stripe pattern. However, this unusual coat pattern is likely to be a disadvantage for the zebra baby Tira, as it makes the animal stand out from the group and becomes easy prey for predators.

In October, the animal then migrated south in the course of the Great Migration and crossed the border between Kenya and Tanzania. With a lot of luck you might be able to witness this rare animal on your safari. You can find a detailed article about the foal Tira at https://www.forbes.com/sites/grrlscientist/2019/09/26/rare-zebra-foal-with-polka-dots-spotted-in-kenya/

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