Advertisement

Rare Polka Dot Zebra Spotted in Kenya

A rare polka-dotted zebra foal was spotted in Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve on September 14. The video shows the zebra, which was later named Tira after the reserve’s tour guide Antony Tira, next to its mother.

The spotting on the rare zebra is likely due to a genetic mutation called pseudomelanism, which causes animals to display abnormalities in their stripe patterns, according to the National Geographic.

Photographer Frank Liu captured the video and images of the foal while on a trip to the Masai Mara National Reserve. He told Storyful he saw the foal, which is believed to be male, on the second day of the trip.

“He was hanging out with the herd, the zebra that he walked to in the second part of the video was his mother,” said Liu. “He stayed very close to her throughout the whole encounter and even when I revisit him a few days later he was still seen very close to the mother.” Credit: Frank Liu via Storyful