Question

Based on the passage below, match each of the claims regarding the function of zebra stripes with its corresponding evidence or status of support.

Passage

For decades, biologists hypothesized that the zebra’s bold black-and-white stripes functioned primarily as a cooling mechanism, generating micro-currents of air across the animal's skin. However, recent empirical studies have challenged this thermoregulation claim. Researchers led by Dr. Alison Cobb measured the skin temperatures of wild zebras and found no significant difference in cooling efficiency compared to uniform-colored herbivores in the same environment. Instead, experimental evidence increasingly supports the hypothesis that stripes serve to deter biting flies. In controlled field tests, scientists covered horse models with various patterned rugs. They observed that tabanid flies (horseflies) attempted to land on striped surfaces far less frequently than on solid-colored ones. High-speed video analysis revealed that the flies failed to decelerate properly when approaching stripes, suggesting that the pattern disrupts their visual processing during landing. While some researchers still argue that stripes may also disrupt predator tracking by creating a motion dazzle effect, the physical deterrence of disease-carrying insects stands as the claim with the most robust experimental backing to date.