Natural Selection and a Polka-Dotted Zebra

All of the other zebra kids laugh and call him names, and refuse to let him play in any zebra games. Kids can be so cruel. Okay, that is anthropomorphizing. It may not be too far from the truth, however. Critters often shun those that are different. Sometimes they help eliminate them because natural selection (the real one, not Papa Darwin's hijacked version) is culling, not creative.

Original image: Unsplash / Maarten van den Heuvel

If you're disappointed that I didn't include an image of the polka-dotted zebra that was in the news, I wasn't certain of my ground for Fair Use, nor was I willing to pay $175 USD for one. But there's no reason I can't post a video of it at the bottom of this here post.

Believers in fish-to-foal evolution are often confused or even misleading about variations and species. Far too often, a slight change is touted as evidence for evolution, but that is the opposite of the truth. Creationists have known for a mighty long time that there are variations, whether through natural selection or mutations. A polka-dotted zebra is the result of a mutation, which usually means something is broken in the genome. It may be minor and only affecting appearance, or it could mean something else is wrong as well. So, don't get your herd in an uproar, old son. God is still the Creator, and no evolution to see here. Just an Equus of a different color. Sorta.

Wildlife photographer Frank Liu recounted, “At first glance he looked like a different species altogether.” Understandably so, given that the foal lacks the dazzling white-and-black stripiness so characteristic of zebras. . . .

Similar polka-dot colouration has been observed on zebra foals elsewhere in Africa, e.g. Botswana. According to University of California biologist Brenda ‘Ren’ Larison, the condition is a form of pseudomelanism. This is a rare genetic mutation (an inheritable genetic accident) affecting melanin (pigment) production, which results in abnormality in the stripe pattern.

To read the rest, spot the link to "Polka-dotted zebra".