ALL three surviving species of African zebras could lose their stripes in as little as 50-70 years as global warming threatens their habitat and way of life, Greenpeace UK reveals.
Zebras, horses and wild asses are all equids: long-lived animals that move quickly for their large size. Their teeth have evolved to crop and grind grass. Zebras have horse-like bodies, similar to stocky ponies. The most noticeable difference between zebras and horses for now is the zebra’s distinctive striped coats, making them one of the most instantly-recognizable of Africa’s ruminants, and a particular favourite with children.
The most numerous and widespread species in East Africa is the common or Burchell’s zebra. Grevy’s zebra, chiefly found in northern Kenya, was named for Jules Grevy, a president of France in the 1880s who received one from Ethiopia as a gift. The mountain zebra, Equus zebra, is, found in southern and southwestern Africa.
The zebra’s coat can vary greatly in pattern, number and width of stripes. The stripes’ disruptive coloration breaks up the outline of the body. At twilight, when their predators are most active, zebras appear indistinct.
Zebras’ shiny coats dissipate over 70% of incoming heat. In one of the strange coincidences of science, the albedo or reflectance of a typical zebra’s coat at around 31% – is identical to that of the entire planet Earth as seen from space. Sir John Houghton, the first chair of the IPCC’s science working group, says albedo is a scientific measure of the percentage of radiant energy incident upon a surface that is reflected off that surface rather than transmitted through it or absorbed and emitted by it.
But this uncanny coincidence will not last long. As the Earth warms and polar or glacial ice melts, the planetary albedo is set to fall, causing a temperature feedback that will amplify global warming. Zebras, however, according to Dr. Ieuan ap Rhyl of the African Union’s new International Zoological Survey Division, are responding to increasingly warmer ambient temperatures by a progressive reduction in the breadth of the black stripes on their coats. In each new generation, the mean thickness of each stripe is reduced by up to 6%, so that more of the zebra’s coat will be able to reflect the sun’s rays, helping to keep the zebra cool. In 50-70 years, says Dr. Ap Rhyl, the zebras’ coats will appear very similar to grey horses’ coats. The stripes will be gone.
Al Gore has spoke up for the zebras: This is another wake-up call for the planet. How much more hard evidence do our leaders need before they act to protect the Earth’s most precious creatures from the selfishness and greed of humankind? Political will, unlike zebra stripes, is a renewable resource.
Greenpeace stands for positive change through action. We defend the natural world and promote peace. We investigate, expose and confront environmental abuse by governments and corporations throughout the world. We champion environmentally responsible and socially just solutions, including scientific innovation. Our goal is to ensure the ability of the earth to nurture life in all its diversity. We have been working with the Zoological Survey of the African Union on this and other projects to save the continent’s threatened wildlife
April Fools!
Via Lord Monckton, 3rd Viscount Monckton of Brenchley
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Monckton,_3rd_Viscount_Monckton_of_Brenchley
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD is a critical thinker with expertise in the scientific method.
Climate change on April Fools Day. How very appropriate.
It’s interesting that Greenpeace can get used here for a joke and abused in every thread, except when they produce something that the majority here find favourable to their cause and belief system, such as on the plastic bag thread.
“Ian Mott at April 1, 2008”
This seems to be a much more appropriate April Fool’s entry.
Louis Wu
This is instructive.
It’s totally easy to believe that this crock of spit was actually issued by Greenpea$e.
Why? Because this crock easily meets the group’s standards for scientific merit and overall accuracy.
By the way, has anyone noticed that Al Gore now controls more international slush funds than Greenpea$e?
I’d consider investing, since Greenpea$e reliably returns 5% on equity every year, and Al Gore’s stock fund in nuclear and defense is turning in good numbers, but these folks don’t pay a dividend. They just keep the money. What’s up with that?
And I always thought they were black, with white stripes… How wrong I was.
Mr T, And I always thought they were black, with white stripes… How wrong I was.
Well now you know they are grey with black AND white stripes.
Hey folks, check out what day it is.
Zebra’s stripes disappearing? Yeah right.
Ya big April Fool!
The disappearance of zebra stripes is clear evidence of solar changes, since it is radiation, not atmospheric temperature, that is affected by albedo. We may note that the so-called unicorns shown in medieval bestiaries were actually stripeless zebras, due to the Medieval Warm Period. They regained their stripes in the Little Ice Age.
Lord Monckton raises an interesting point, but should take a leaf out of the book of his fellow Old Harrovian, Sir Ronald Fisher, who was very careful with numbers. An eminent Zimbabwean ecologist has shown that the average width of zebra stripes has reduced by 5.8362% per generation (Mugabe 2008). That’s the sort of accuracy we need to grapple with this problem. Luke will explain for the statistically naive.
There is another theory, that zebra stripes arose as camouflage in grasslands burnt in stripes by volcanic eruptions. This is dismissed by serious scientists (Finklebaum 1997, Amin 1998, Mbeke 2006) as contrarian pseudoscience. They offer the crucial Popperian falsification that humans in Africa do not have black and white stripes. Indeed, as Pliny said, ‘semper aliquid novii Africam adferre’.
jan, I always thought you saw things in black and white.
I won’t be happy until they’re green.
Here’s a better April Fools Day gag, and closer to home:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/opinion/hands-off-coal-subsidies-all-you-renewafools/2008/03/31/1206850810815.html
“Lord Monckton, 3rd Viscount Monckton of Brenchley”
Hey that’s a really amusing April Fools Day climate change alias!! Sounds excellently pretentious and ridiculous, obviously lampooning those who would use a title to try and garner extra authority for their prattle.
Mr T, I won’t be happy until they’re green.
At least that will be good to camouflage them from those flying pigs.
Warning to all posters:
It’s only a valid April Fool up to midday – after that the joke’s on you!
BTW Jen, your server clock is wrong – must be IIS.
In which case Green Davey Gam’s gag is still valid…
It’s only a valid April Fool up to midday – after that the joke’s on you!
It’s before midday in some part’s of the world still and and the internet being a global medium …..
You’re right Jan, I’m even wrong about the server clock, if the server is in Brisbane!
Ah well…
bikerider: “I’m even wrong about the server clock, if the server is in Brisbane!”
At least that one will be closer to sidereal noon at noon.
Server is in Brisbane… so an hour behind Sydney and about 2 hours ahead of Perth where Davey lives … and about 12 hours ahead of Ireland.
Thanks Jen.
Looks like Anthony Watts has had about 3 months of continuous Aprils Fools Jokes on his blog. Do you think it’s time for him to stop now?
All this hocus pocus about the sun is not very funny anymore. Why would he keep repeating the same joke?
Mr T, “All this hocus pocus about the sun is not very funny anymore.”
Haven’t you noticed yet that the sun warms the planet?
Apparently not Jan, it’s all new to me.
Have you read his (and others) analysis though? As a mathematician I thought you’d probably enjoy it.
Mr T, “Have you read his (and others) analysis though?”
Not yet I’ve been in the garden most of the past two days. Back to work tomorrow maybe to unwind when I get home tomorrow.
Louis Wu – when Greenpeace say something sensisble it is big news.
In the plastic bag case Paul they were lying, but you believed it.
Louis Wu
Dr I. Ap Rhyl
indeed 😉
A real April Fool’s joke about this would be that it seems ridiculous but plausible, so everyone “gets it,” and laughs; but, then, in a double reverse, it turns out to be true.
People,
With all the climate theorists running around here, you’d think they’d be able to spot a pattern.
Greenpeace *never* runs a big PR campaign dated April 1.
If they did, people would laugh, and then Greenpeace would have to work twice as hard to convince people that they’re serious.
Which is getting harder to do all the time.