Monday, 14 October 2019

Cowzebras?

Painting cows with zebra stripes reduces the attacks by biting flies by 50% and seems a good alternative to using insecticides (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/11/if-the-shoo-fits-cows-painted-with-zebra-stripes-keep-flies-in-line). This work, of course, reflects attempts to determine WHY zebras have stripes. Rather than being a device to blend into the background, it appears that the pattern interrupts the motion detection systems of flying ectoparasites, making landing more difficult. Perhaps the breeders will be able to come up with striped cows, negating the need to paint?
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