But a second look told him that wasn’t the case. The colt, who stayed by his mother’s side, actually had a melanin disorder which gave him a mostly black coat with white spots.
The well-known disorder of albinism is characterized by a complete or almost complete absence of pigmentation and thus results in the whiteness of the skin or coat.
Melanism is the opposite condition, and is caused by an abnormally high amount of a black pigment called melanin. The so-called “black panthers” are well-known examples of melanism seen in leopards and jaguars.
A melanistic zebra will not have natural lines; He will have small spots and stripes that form a pattern on his skin. Tira’s photos of the foal show that its back is completely black, with minute white stripes on its legs and spots on its neck, chest, and abdomen.
There has never been a recorded case of a Melanie zebra donkey being born in the Maasai Mara park, Parmal Limin, a wildlife specialist at Matera Bush Camp, said. He’s heard about it in other African gardens. Unfortunately, none of them survived six months after birth.
Lemein also said that scientists who have studied zebras report that they are black with white stripes. The streaks form when melanin is retained from certain areas. If this does not happen and the melanin spreads throughout or most of the body, then the zebra develops melanin.
Blogger Mutuma the Untamed posted pictures of Tira on his blog and added that the colt was named after Tira. He also claimed to have heard of a similar case, but the zebra in question still had stripes instead of dots.
Unsurprisingly, the Masai Mara National Reserve reports a real rush, with guides and tourists wanting to see the zebra with its rare and distinctive markings.
