Zebra Mutations

This photo from an old photo album was apparently taken in Tsavo (now a National Park) in Kenya. It shows 3 normal zebra and one with white stripes and blotches on a black background. The image it came from has deteriorated over the years (either stored or processed badly).

Zebra and foal photographed in Etosha Game Reserve, Namibia. The abundism* on the body may be due to melanocytes not properly migrating from the dorsal region during embryo development. As a result the areas further from the backbone have less pigment.

This 1960s photo of a white-spotted black Burchell's zebra was used in an argument over whether zebras are black horses with white stripes or white horses with black stripes.

Another black zebra. It is unusual for these to survive for long as their distinctive coloration makes them stand out from the herd and they are a target for lions. Albino zebras also occur; these are white with pale golden stripes. The foal pictured below probably didn't have a long life due to its distinctive coloration.

In March 2004, a white zebra was born in Nairobi's national park in Kenya. It was discovered when local Masaai cattle herders reported seeing a loose white calf in the park. Its gender is unknown, but it is healthy. The good news is that zebra don't discriminate against stripeless zebra and it is accepted into the herd. The bad news is that a white zebra is conspicuous and, therefore, an obvious target for predators. The cause of white zebras is a form of albinism. True albinism results in blue or pink eyes. A condition called leucism (responsible for white lions) results in normally coloured eyes and sepia tones on white background.

*Abundism is the occurence of excessively abundant dark markings (such as spots, stripes or other patch types) due to increased dark pigmentation on the coat, fur or skin of some animal species. As the number and/or size of these markings increases, some overlap and merge causing the effect of pseudomelanism  where the animal appears completely black. The background color may still be discerned between the markings. Source: Answers.com

Source: Messy Beast