Posted by The Conversation |
Wednesday 9 December 2020, 03:43 PM (AEDT) In this Curious Kids series, children have their questions answered by experts. Vidit, age 8, wants to know why tigers have stripes. An expert explains. When tigers stalk their prey, usually in the murky light of dusk or dawn, they are nearly invisible. Whether they live in grasslands, forests or jungles, wild tigers have deep orange coats with dark stripes. So how does such a brightly coloured animal stay concealed well enough to hunt successfully? The answer: camouflage! Green tigers? In my work as a zoological veterinarian, I ve seen up close how various animals coats, feathers, colours, spots and stripes have evolved to either help them attract a mate or disguise them. Camouflage or cryptic coloration allows them to hide, undetected.