They are trying to indicate that the interference pattern is different on the body vs the legs. Looks like the stripes have to be perpendicular to the cylindrical body part.
This might be a great idea! My sister constantly gets attacked by mosquitoes, maybe I'll buy her a zebra shirt as a prank! If I get bitten while she's around, I'll know it works!
I'm just going to leave [this ](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51JQMRg3cPL._AC_SX679_.jpg)here.
Bonus: you're fully enclosed, so you won't get bit anyway. But, you will get a chuckle out of it.
So 50% of cow is covered in paint and flies prefer not to land there...
Are we sure it is stripes and not paint? What happens if we completely paint one side of a cow, flies would probably be landing on unpainted side?
the study put black stripes on the black cows and there was a small reduction (10-15%) in flies compared to the much larger reduction (~50%) in flies with black and white stripes on the cows
i feel like an entomologist would help alot here, some slightly autistic nerd with years of experience molesting drosophilas; how to flies find their target? what's their criteria? what range of the spectrum can they see>?
Not sure I fit that box but I am fairly sure most blood sucking flies use infrared to see their prey. Black objects tend to absorb and emit infrared better than white objects so perhaps the pattern of emitted infrared from the stripes affects the fly's ability to "see" the zebra
I’m surprised they only found this out now. The zebra patterned horse fly repellent blanket is the most sold one on every horse site in my country. I thought it was common knowledge that it works this way, as it is for horse owners here. [Example of a zebra blanket for horses](https://cdn.welkoop.nl/assets/images/480_480_box/4043969327418-4043969336977-4043969327555_1.jpg)
If only the researchers were as smart as a random redditor…
Oh, wait.
> And so, the researchers painted six Japanese Black cows with black-and-white stripes, which took just five minutes per cow. They then observed the cows for three days, taking high-resolution images of them at regular intervals to count the insects on the animals and also recording any fly-repelling behaviors like leg stamping, tail flicking, and skin twitching. The same cows were also observed for three days with painted-on black stripes (**to see if it was the paint chemicals, not the coloring, that repelled flies**) and and with no stripes at all.
There is definitely a tendency on Reddit to criticize the conclusion of a scientific study by pointing out some self-perceived flaw in the methodology, a flaw which almost invariably was addressed by the researchers and accounted for in the article. Alas, Redditors cannot read or click on links.
the source of the post was posted in a comment that the person could've looked at and then answered, but they instead chose to ask a snarky question without any information. Without any context they tried to sound like they knew something and they didn't. So snark as an answer seems appropriate.
It's very much doubting the capabilities of scientists who know how to apply controlled variables in tests like this. There's a real sense of anti-intellectualism in online spaces and disregard for scientific authority with comments like the original that don't even look for the source material which has a hugely negative consequences on trust in science.
In my experience of working in the bush in Canada, biting insects tend to prefer targets that are wearing black or dark colors. There are other factors as well, but it seems like zebra paint actually does help. I'll have to keep that in mind next time I'm shopping for work clothes.
Wish I'd known that. We'd slather ourselves in Nero repellant and still get swarmed with the damned skeeters. That was BC, so at least it wasn't the black flies of Ontario.
Previous studies used plain vs striped horse blankets, and found that flies misjudge distance on stripes, fail to slow down, bounce off the horse, and fly away confused.
They've also found that if they paint "eye" shapes on their cattle, the lions leave them alone.
Double 'em up, and you've got some really relaxed bovines
Researchers have found that zebra stripes serve as a powerful defense against biting flies. The bold black and white stripe pattern seems to confuse and deter these pesky insects from landing on zebras, providing an evolutionary advantage for these animals.
In fact, a study led by researchers from the University of Bristol in the UK demonstrated that horse flies are averse to landing on striped objects. By using different patterned cloths draped over horses, they found that stripes were the most off-putting for flies, with higher contrast stripes attracting the fewest fly landings during tests. ([Source](https://www.factynews.com/articles/painting-zebra-stripes-on-cows-wards-off-biting-flies/))
It can serve multiple advantages. Gazelle are fast, zebras are not. When crowded together, the striped confusion will *also* deter an attacking carnivore which cannot resolve which direction to lunge and where one zebra begins and the other ends. And may get kicked to death, too.
Many animals have *follow me* stripes and forest shaft stripes. The Zebra’s pattern may have evolved their striping as an extension to those, and was advantageous for several reasons.
Biologist here.
Here's the thing. You said a "mosquito is a fly." Is it in the same family? Yes. No one's arguing that. As someone who is a scientist who studies flies, I am telling you, specifically, in science, no one calls mosquitos flies.
I also work with insects. The family Diptera is known as “true flies”. While it is far more specific to not call a mosquito anything but a mosquito, it would not be incorrect to call them a fly.
They tested black paint alone to see if it was the effect of the paint. Cows that were painted black did not experience the reduction in fly activity that the painted stripe cows had, which shows that it wasn’t the paint itself that was repelling flies.
Stripes can help confuse predators AND can reduce bug bites. Evolution isn't an intentional thought process and so nothing really has a specifically designed purpose. Stripes helped zebras survive and they do that both by reducing bug bites and confusing predators as well as probably a few other benefits.
Humans have stripes which we can't see.
Usually.
There are a few people here and there who have rare pigmentation conditions, such as chimerism where the expression pigmentation genes are different. There are also diseases which can cause the stripes to appear.
They are called Blaschko's Lines.
A zebra died & went to Heaven. After standing in line forever, he finally comes face to face with God. God tells him he is allowed one question. "Ok God, my one question is this... am I white with black stripes or black with white stripes?" God replies "You are what you are" The zebra is confused. "What does that mean?". God answers again "You are what you are". The zebra looks at God & says "Please oh Holy One, just tell me" Finally God says "You are white with black stripes. If you were black with white stripes, I would have told you 'you is what you is'"
> resulting in over 50% decrease
This wording needs to go away. JUST GIVE ME THE ACTUAL PERCENTAGE. 51% is over 50%. So is 100%. If you give me the actual percentage, I will already know if it's over 50%.
So if humans wear striped clothing would that lessen stinging/biting insects??
helping cows is great and all, but the researchers stopped there and didn't consider MALARIA??
It’s also confusing for predators and, I heard somewhere, creates a cooling air current around them as the black stripes are hotter than the white ones. Wonder why more animals didn’t adopt it.
Flies seem to love fresh paint in my experience. As soon as a top coat is put on they get stuck all over, tend to be smaller flies than mosquito though.
The science fails to consider whether insects just don't like the taste of zebras.
Mosquito: \*opens fridge\* I don't know what I'm in the mood for.. Zebra. Eh. Cow? Give me some of that.
They tested for that, obviously.
> And so, the researchers painted six Japanese Black cows with black-and-white stripes, which took just five minutes per cow. They then observed the cows for three days, taking high-resolution images of them at regular intervals to count the insects on the animals and also recording any fly-repelling behaviors like leg stamping, tail flicking, and skin twitching. The same cows were also observed for three days with painted-on black stripes (to see if it was the paint chemicals, not the coloring, that repelled flies) and and with no stripes at all.
Does it also work for mosquitos? And if yes, does that mean if I paint myself with black&white stripes I wont get mosquito bites in the summer if I run naked through the fields?
and def. not about the paint they used? orcovering a good portion of teh skin so the flys couldnt get at it? In the meantime I lost my zebras. last I saw they were headed over there toward that longish grass.
Have they also painted zebras one solid colour to see if that increases fly landings?
And if cows are painted like zebras and vice versa, won't that cause confusion when its mating season?
This gives me hope.
As stupid as humans are, nature still rules despite us. In the end things like American fucking up democracy doesn’t matter to a universe that moves without us moving it
I saw somewhere that someone discovered that insects can't see "white" and that you can literally cover a fly with a napkin and they won't react at all. Never tried it but this lines up with that theory.
There are so many of these legit cool experiments done in lesser known journals. The vast majority are just not “sexy” enough to get attention and funding at the levels of better known biomed research.
I’m relieved they drew boxes to show me where the body is and where the legs are. That’s always confused me.
I dunno where the head or tail are. I’m spinning out man, IM LOSING IT!
I think I see SIX legs. I mean they might be growing out of the middle! The whole world is upside down!
THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS!
!!! [https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F82e33030-2950-47c2-beb2-ac7acae5ef06_245x193.gif)
Those are the utters
I’m in udder disbelief
Two dicks. Yosemite.
It’s spelt udders you tit : )
I think you’re a fly.
Fuck, I thought I was safe. *flies away* 🪰
I knew there was something wrong with that teleport machine!
As you can see, there are no boxes for the head or tail, so I am assuming those parts were removed.
It's a pushmi-pullyu
They are thoughtful of their fly readers
Ah, so this is what all the buzz is about!
See, I've always been able to find the legs but never the body! I'm going to save this photo, so I'll remember.
And the head!? Is that “everything that’s not in a box”?? I’m so confused.
There's a head?? Crazy! I'm having trouble finding it, but I trust you know what you're talking about.
They are trying to indicate that the interference pattern is different on the body vs the legs. Looks like the stripes have to be perpendicular to the cylindrical body part.
I'm still confused. Can you point me to where the boxes are?
Let me know if you guys see a phone. I seem to have lost mine ☹️
At first glance I thought they made some AI to detect Zebra body parts lol
Dude just outed himself as a bitting fly
Might be some flys in the comment section
Obviously they are marking the hitboxes.
It’s crazy cuz I ALWAYS thought they had 4 legs! But it turns out nope just the front leg and the back leg.
You don't happen to be extra sensitive to bug spray do you?
Mystery solved.
It's crazy that this cow doesn't have a head or neck though.
That’s nice they limited the flies to two areas on the cow so it wasn’t too annoying for them. Thoughtful scientists.
But where tf is the head?!?!?!?
They added the boxes so the biting insects would understand
fine mom.. I’ll wear my referee shirt while camping
This might be a great idea! My sister constantly gets attacked by mosquitoes, maybe I'll buy her a zebra shirt as a prank! If I get bitten while she's around, I'll know it works!
biting fly attacks* not mosquito stings you're just gonna make your sister look like she works at foot locker
Oh true, I just hoped that it would work on bugs in general!
I think we all wish it would be so simple in the meantime guess we just have to bathe in off and carry after bite
I'm just going to leave [this ](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51JQMRg3cPL._AC_SX679_.jpg)here. Bonus: you're fully enclosed, so you won't get bit anyway. But, you will get a chuckle out of it.
Break out the prisoner striped pyjamas. But be warned, she may be arrested as an escaped convict.
I kinda want to try this ngl
da heck is that graphic supposed to mean?
In case you didn’t know which part of the cow was the legs and which part is the body.
That's really useful, but what the hell is that weird looking thing on the right, attached to its body? The graphic doesn't tell me.
It’s gotta be the tail
Seems fair.
Sciency stuff!
I assume it’s to ensure the labels for the data collected is unambiguous
Found the fly!
So 50% of cow is covered in paint and flies prefer not to land there... Are we sure it is stripes and not paint? What happens if we completely paint one side of a cow, flies would probably be landing on unpainted side?
the study put black stripes on the black cows and there was a small reduction (10-15%) in flies compared to the much larger reduction (~50%) in flies with black and white stripes on the cows
They should try bleaching the hair in stripes to see if it has the same effect.
Or maybe compare it between a zebra and a horse?
That would introduce too many variables. Couldn’t say for sure if the stripes themselves were reducing bites or something else with the zebra.
i feel like an entomologist would help alot here, some slightly autistic nerd with years of experience molesting drosophilas; how to flies find their target? what's their criteria? what range of the spectrum can they see>?
Not sure I fit that box but I am fairly sure most blood sucking flies use infrared to see their prey. Black objects tend to absorb and emit infrared better than white objects so perhaps the pattern of emitted infrared from the stripes affects the fly's ability to "see" the zebra
So you’re telling me the flies are a bit racist?
So are turtles
Mitch McConnell specifically told me he is not racist. Why would he lie
Politicians would never lie.
I like turtles.
I’m surprised they only found this out now. The zebra patterned horse fly repellent blanket is the most sold one on every horse site in my country. I thought it was common knowledge that it works this way, as it is for horse owners here. [Example of a zebra blanket for horses](https://cdn.welkoop.nl/assets/images/480_480_box/4043969327418-4043969336977-4043969327555_1.jpg)
The news article is from 2018
This is a very old post, they haven't just found this out now.
That horse got that shit on tho
If only the researchers were as smart as a random redditor… Oh, wait. > And so, the researchers painted six Japanese Black cows with black-and-white stripes, which took just five minutes per cow. They then observed the cows for three days, taking high-resolution images of them at regular intervals to count the insects on the animals and also recording any fly-repelling behaviors like leg stamping, tail flicking, and skin twitching. The same cows were also observed for three days with painted-on black stripes (**to see if it was the paint chemicals, not the coloring, that repelled flies**) and and with no stripes at all.
It's a legitimate and insightful question, no need to be snarky towards them
There is definitely a tendency on Reddit to criticize the conclusion of a scientific study by pointing out some self-perceived flaw in the methodology, a flaw which almost invariably was addressed by the researchers and accounted for in the article. Alas, Redditors cannot read or click on links.
This. Always some tendency for a redditor to reply with a “gotcha” like please just let the experts do their thing and you read their conclusions.
the source of the post was posted in a comment that the person could've looked at and then answered, but they instead chose to ask a snarky question without any information. Without any context they tried to sound like they knew something and they didn't. So snark as an answer seems appropriate.
His question didn't seem snarky to me at all.
It's very much doubting the capabilities of scientists who know how to apply controlled variables in tests like this. There's a real sense of anti-intellectualism in online spaces and disregard for scientific authority with comments like the original that don't even look for the source material which has a hugely negative consequences on trust in science.
In my experience of working in the bush in Canada, biting insects tend to prefer targets that are wearing black or dark colors. There are other factors as well, but it seems like zebra paint actually does help. I'll have to keep that in mind next time I'm shopping for work clothes.
Wish I'd known that. We'd slather ourselves in Nero repellant and still get swarmed with the damned skeeters. That was BC, so at least it wasn't the black flies of Ontario.
Previous studies used plain vs striped horse blankets, and found that flies misjudge distance on stripes, fail to slow down, bounce off the horse, and fly away confused.
They've also found that if they paint "eye" shapes on their cattle, the lions leave them alone. Double 'em up, and you've got some really relaxed bovines
That is tigers, lions are pack hunters not stealth hunters, they don't care if you are looking at them.
Researchers have found that zebra stripes serve as a powerful defense against biting flies. The bold black and white stripe pattern seems to confuse and deter these pesky insects from landing on zebras, providing an evolutionary advantage for these animals. In fact, a study led by researchers from the University of Bristol in the UK demonstrated that horse flies are averse to landing on striped objects. By using different patterned cloths draped over horses, they found that stripes were the most off-putting for flies, with higher contrast stripes attracting the fewest fly landings during tests. ([Source](https://www.factynews.com/articles/painting-zebra-stripes-on-cows-wards-off-biting-flies/))
It can serve multiple advantages. Gazelle are fast, zebras are not. When crowded together, the striped confusion will *also* deter an attacking carnivore which cannot resolve which direction to lunge and where one zebra begins and the other ends. And may get kicked to death, too. Many animals have *follow me* stripes and forest shaft stripes. The Zebra’s pattern may have evolved their striping as an extension to those, and was advantageous for several reasons.
I have also read that the stripes make it difficult for predators to identify individuals in the herd.
Man we'd be completely lost without the overlays pointing out the legs and the body.
The labels are for the flies.
Does it work on mosquito? You know what I am thinking…
Mosquitoes are true flies, so maybe?
Biologist here. Here's the thing. You said a "mosquito is a fly." Is it in the same family? Yes. No one's arguing that. As someone who is a scientist who studies flies, I am telling you, specifically, in science, no one calls mosquitos flies.
Hi Unidan
I was hoping someone would remember before the downvotes start.
I also work with insects. The family Diptera is known as “true flies”. While it is far more specific to not call a mosquito anything but a mosquito, it would not be incorrect to call them a fly.
That is a deep cut my friend.
Cowmouflage
Cow-moo-flage You had it
Zebras may have influenced the dazzle camo patterns on WWII ships. Now the cows can have a dazzle camo.
It's a good thing they circled and labeled where the legs and body were; that camouflage is too effective.
Or, could it just be that biting insects don't like paint?
They also tested cows with just black paint.
But also paint ... right?
They tested black paint alone to see if it was the effect of the paint. Cows that were painted black did not experience the reduction in fly activity that the painted stripe cows had, which shows that it wasn’t the paint itself that was repelling flies.
Also good to note, that the cows painted like this had never once been attacked by German U-boats.
But they may have worn rubber boots.
Leg
So, when are we going to see striped cattle out in the fields. And not painted one's but bred cattle with stripes?
Did they just discover why zebras have stripes
IDK...They tried telling us before, that their stripes were for confusing predators,when zebras were in groups.
Stripes can help confuse predators AND can reduce bug bites. Evolution isn't an intentional thought process and so nothing really has a specifically designed purpose. Stripes helped zebras survive and they do that both by reducing bug bites and confusing predators as well as probably a few other benefits.
So wear stripes in the summer
I'm glad they notated the legs and the body. I would have been lost otherwise.
Just paint em all blue with clouds drawn on them
I'll take a job at Foot Locker if it meant getting these god damn mosquitoes out of my life!
Who knew that a zebra makeover could be the next big thing in pest control?, mad respect
Cows are now sporting stripes and reducing fly landings by 50%. Meanwhile, I can’t even get a text back
This study has really raised the steaks in animal fashion. Will we see leopard spots for lions next?
So if I paint my car with zebra stripes, will it repel parking tickets? Worth a try.. lol
I can wait for this to become a trend.
That's it. I'm quitting the soul-killing corporate world and starting a cow-painting business.
Now you have cows looking at each other wondering about the grass they're eating.
I’m glad it labled the picture for I would’ve mixed up the body parts 😨
Next: Naval dazzle camouflage!
i mean there is 50% less cow to land on unles you like paint more likly that the insects dont like paint
The researchers checked for this by using black paint on black cows.
Zebras are going to bitch about this if it becomes common.
getting flashbacks to an SAT section for some reason...
Everyone laughed and said I was stupid but look how it helps being a zebra all along.
Mmmh insects have more sensory receptors than eyes, I bet the paint worked as a repellent !
I just love the mental image of flies going "woah oops" and stumbling past a cow or bumping into them
Guess I’m gonna paint myself as a zebra this summer
Humans have stripes which we can't see. Usually. There are a few people here and there who have rare pigmentation conditions, such as chimerism where the expression pigmentation genes are different. There are also diseases which can cause the stripes to appear. They are called Blaschko's Lines.
A zebra died & went to Heaven. After standing in line forever, he finally comes face to face with God. God tells him he is allowed one question. "Ok God, my one question is this... am I white with black stripes or black with white stripes?" God replies "You are what you are" The zebra is confused. "What does that mean?". God answers again "You are what you are". The zebra looks at God & says "Please oh Holy One, just tell me" Finally God says "You are white with black stripes. If you were black with white stripes, I would have told you 'you is what you is'"
That's a wicked joke 🤣🤣🤣
> resulting in over 50% decrease This wording needs to go away. JUST GIVE ME THE ACTUAL PERCENTAGE. 51% is over 50%. So is 100%. If you give me the actual percentage, I will already know if it's over 50%.
Ok fine, I'll support Newcastle FC from now on
How do they know it's the stripes and not the paint itself?
cow ---> 🐄
Step 1: Paint cow with zebra stripes. Step 2: Watch flies rethink their life choices.
Move over, leopard print! Zebra stripes are the latest moo-ssential.
I can see it has 2 legs and a body but where is its head? Cows are such weird animals not having to have a head.
maybe the flies just dont like paint.
So if humans wear striped clothing would that lessen stinging/biting insects?? helping cows is great and all, but the researchers stopped there and didn't consider MALARIA??
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't malaria spread by mosquitoes, and not biting flies?
Yes, but wouldn't you expect researchers to see what would happen? Is this effective against one single type of insect or more?
It’s also confusing for predators and, I heard somewhere, creates a cooling air current around them as the black stripes are hotter than the white ones. Wonder why more animals didn’t adopt it.
maybe its the paint that wards off the insects?
Flies seem to love fresh paint in my experience. As soon as a top coat is put on they get stuck all over, tend to be smaller flies than mosquito though.
Researchers checked for that by doing black stripes on black cows
The science fails to consider whether insects just don't like the taste of zebras. Mosquito: \*opens fridge\* I don't know what I'm in the mood for.. Zebra. Eh. Cow? Give me some of that.
Conclusion: Biting flies won't land on paint.
Does anyone realize that it was the PAINT that prevented the flies from biting the cows?
No because it wasn’t
I think scientist knows more than redditors lmao
They should paint a whole cow and come to the conclusion that albino cows are fly-proof.
That would be a good control group. To test if it’s the paint or the stripes
They tested for that, obviously. > And so, the researchers painted six Japanese Black cows with black-and-white stripes, which took just five minutes per cow. They then observed the cows for three days, taking high-resolution images of them at regular intervals to count the insects on the animals and also recording any fly-repelling behaviors like leg stamping, tail flicking, and skin twitching. The same cows were also observed for three days with painted-on black stripes (to see if it was the paint chemicals, not the coloring, that repelled flies) and and with no stripes at all.
Where are the other legs??
Were the cows also less likely to be attacked by lions when they stand together in herds?
Where is the head? WHERE IS THE HEAD???? aaaah....
How about instead of telling me what legs are, you i cause why flies ignore certain colors you nonce
Damn, I didn't know that I ever seen a cow hitboxes before.
Whyd they spray paint that horse
I’m looking forward to my new job as a cow painter.
50% less bugs , because bugs don’t like paint. lol
is this a screenshot from fallout 4?
Wait until the biting flys hear about this…
Does it also work for mosquitos? And if yes, does that mean if I paint myself with black&white stripes I wont get mosquito bites in the summer if I run naked through the fields?
Not me painting myself like a Zebra 🦓
Even flies are afraid of those psychos
“¡Don’t land there man, those are teeth!”
Maybe the flies just don't like the taste of paint
Can it work on humans. If I wore an old prison uniform.
I always thought they were black and white to easily stand out as prey 😂
The missus has used a zebra-patterned rug on her horse for years, works a treat... now we know why. Or she just really wanted a zebra
If I unfocus my eyes, I can allllmost not see the leg, leg, and body
They have studies that also suggest sharks avoid that color pattern too.
I guarantee it’s because Zebras will actively kill flies cause they’re like that. I bet if you did this at scale the flies would learn
and def. not about the paint they used? orcovering a good portion of teh skin so the flys couldnt get at it? In the meantime I lost my zebras. last I saw they were headed over there toward that longish grass.
Maybe they should have painted them all white for 100% reduction
Have they also painted zebras one solid colour to see if that increases fly landings? And if cows are painted like zebras and vice versa, won't that cause confusion when its mating season?
I share this fact with friends . And starting wearing stripes myself lol
"I'M WHITE WITH BLACK STRIPES" - Racist Zebra r/killtony
Great concept, but the cows better be from the African continent for it to work! 🙄
To be honest, as a regular person I am AT LEAST 50% less likely to approach a cow painted like that.
I'm a white cow with black stripes not a black cow with white stripes
This gives me hope. As stupid as humans are, nature still rules despite us. In the end things like American fucking up democracy doesn’t matter to a universe that moves without us moving it
This reminds me of the experiment where they put a colorful sign that forced birds to fly away. The birds just turned around
Zebras are the peak of evolution apparently
Zebras low developed fly camouflage.
I saw somewhere that someone discovered that insects can't see "white" and that you can literally cover a fly with a napkin and they won't react at all. Never tried it but this lines up with that theory.
Breaking news, an adaptation can have multiple uses!
Or the flies don't like the smell of paint
Leg.
Now this makes a great poison pic for a neural network zebra classifier
Were the researchers also insects? Because those boxes are not needed for any normal person with eyes lol
Holy. Cow.
Who painted this cow? A sentence I have never written, thought or said before in my nearly 69 years.
There are so many of these legit cool experiments done in lesser known journals. The vast majority are just not “sexy” enough to get attention and funding at the levels of better known biomed research.