The mottled patterns that adorn Africa’s tallest creatures are passed down from their mothers, a new study suggests.
A giraffe calf inherits spots that are similar to those of its mother in terms of roundness and the smoothness of the spots’ borders, researchers report October 2 in PeerJ. The size and shape of those splotches can also affect a giraffe’s chances of surviving in the wild, the team says.
Giraffes — like tigers, zebras and jaguars — are covered in patterns that aid in regulating body temperature and help signal to other animals that they’re part of the same species. The markings also act as camouflage, optically breaking up the body shapes of animals to hide them from predators.