YKS 2025 · Soru 76

(I) Striped skunks’ black-and-white colouration warns of the toxic spray they can emit. (II) Skunks are famed for their black-and-white stripes, but it appears they can evolve to lose these iconic markings, according to a new study. (III) Examining museum specimens, researchers noticed that there were differences in fur colour across the striped skunks’ North American range, from all-black stripes to all-white. (IV) The researchers then considered the variables driving this variation and discovered that the main factor was the population of predators. (V) The key finding was that skunks living alongside high populations of predators showed strong, defined stripe patterns, while in locations where skunks were living with fewer predators, fur colour was varied and there were less-well-defined stripes.