The reading passage provides
evidences that the zebras’ strip serves crucial defensive function. However,
the professor disagreed with the author’s argument and pointed out that it is
actually a misconception.
First of all,
the professor insists that the strips in zebra cannot provide an extra time to
escape. Considering the hunting technique that predators normally use, making
an illusion is not relevant with zebra’s defense. Lion, for example, tend to
targets weak and old individual out of the herd which is comparatively easy
target to chase and catch when it becomes exhausted. Therefore, there is no
room for dramatic escape could be made in a last minute. It counters the author’s
claim that the strips make a zebra bigger and closer than it actually is, which
could make a good chance and time to escape.
Second, the
professor argued that predators have an ability to distinguish an individual
prey out of a group. In other word, the strips do not hinder a predator while
they decide to game a target. Therefore, zebra is no more advantage than various
types of animals, such as buffalo and gazelle. This contradicts the assertion
of the reading passage that the strips create confusion so that it interrupts
the ability to pick out an individual target.
Lastly, according
to the lecture, the camouflage function of the strip is not well applied since
zebra is boldly appeared and stay in a middle of a field. They don’t usually
hide inside of bushes. Therefore, the strips do not serve as a good camouflage
patterns. This casts a doubt on the author’s argument that the vertical
patterns of the strips reduce the danger of being detected by a potential
predator.