Newborn Zebra With Rare Polka Dot Markings Is Spotted In Kenya

Talk about a horse of another color—a zebra foal with a dark coat and white polka dots has been spotted in Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve.

A typical zebra pattern is the result of pigment cells called melanocytes, which are responsible for the black base coat, and melanin, which gives the animal its white stripes. (So if you've ever wondered if zebras are white with black stripes or black with white stripes, the answer is the latter). In Tira and other zebras with pseudomelanism, the melanocytes are fully expressed, but a genetic mutation causes the melanin to appear as dots rather than unbroken stripes.