How the Tiger Changed Its Stripes
Sacred Bovines, American Biology Teacher, October, 2019

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Figure 1. Not all tigers have stripes. A stripeless tiger sits with her two siblings (photo courtesy of Cango Wildlife Ranch).
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Figure 2. Stripeless tigers are not common, but they are not wholly uncommon (photo by Krzysztof Duda, You Tube).
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Figure 3. Not all zebras are uniformly striped. Some have spots (photo via Bonnie Cook, Pinterest).
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Figure 4. Some zebras have lost their stripes. Here, a pseudomelanistic zebra grazes next to a striped kin (photo courtesy of Linda De Volder).
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Figure 5. Not all cheetahs are fully spotted. Here, a cheetah with stripes crouches next to one with the more common pattern (photo by Greg Barsh, courtesy of Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre).
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Figure 6. Stripes can sometimes change from one generation to the next. Here, a pseudomelanistic zebra foal stands next to her mother (photo by Michael Fitt, courtesy of Wilderness Safaris).
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Figure 7. White stripes on the African striped mouse appear where melanocytes have been switched off by the interaction of diffusing morphogens (photo by J. F. Broekhuis).
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Figure 8. Zebra stripes vary in number and width based on when they begin developing in the embryo (from the top, photos by Rainbirder; Bernard Dupont; Joachim Huber, cc2 Wikimedia).
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Figure 9. Our hands are striped. Polydactyly reflects a change in the underlying Turing pattern, based on timing in development (Wikimedia).
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Figure 10. The transition from "mackerel" to "blotched" tabby cat is governed by one transmembrane protein (photos by Hirashi and Cassie J., cc2 Wikimedia).
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Figure 11. A melanistic leopard (or "black panther") shows its spots in infrared imaging (photo courtesy of Laurie Hedges).
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Figure 12. A spotless cheetah, like a black panther, shows pigmentation effects that eclipse underlying patterns (Photo by Guy Combes).
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Figure 13. One of the last quaggas in 1870, its coloration reflecting its divergence from other zebra types (Figure 8) (Wikimedia).