50-year-old Hypothesis Confirmed with Modern Techniques
The beautiful coat patterns of giraffes are individually unique and don’t change with age, but their origins and purpose were a mystery.
A new study found wild giraffe spot pattern traits were heritable, passed down from mother to offspring, and certain spot traits improved survival of newborns.
Quantifying heritability and fitness consequences of individual variation in coat patterns can help us understand how and why complex coat patterns evolved in animals.
Arusha, TANZANIA, 2 October 2018-
Giraffe spots are distinctive and beautiful, as shown by the popularity of giraffe patterns in fashion and design. But how giraffe patterns came