Striping patterns may not influence social interactions and mating in zebra: Observations from melanic zebra in South Africa

Abstract

Colouration serves many functions in animals including crypsis, aposematism, mimicry, intraspecific communication, communication between species and thermoregulation (Caro, Caswell Stoddard, & Stuard‐Fox, 2017). On occasions, abnormalities or discontinuous variations in colouration and/or patterning of an individual within a population can occur, leading to albinism (Osinga, ‘t Hart, & Vader, 2010), leucism (Reisinger, Mufanadzo, de Bruyn, & Bester, 2009) or melanism (Eizirik et al., 2003; Majerus, 1998). Melanism, a rare condition occurring when a group of pigments (pheomelanin or eumelanin) is overproduced, has been reported in a variety of mammal species.