How a leopard changes spots? | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

How a leopard changes spots?

None | ByAsian News International, London
Aug 05, 2006 07:32 PM IST

Well scientists finally seem to have the reason, not only behind their distinctive marks, but also how the marks change as the animals? age

Ever wondered why adult leopards and cubs have different spot patterns on their coats? Well scientists finally seem to have the reason, not only behind their distinctive marks, but also how the marks change as the animals’ age.

HT Image
HT Image

Alan Turing had in 1952 come up with an equation that produced dead ringers for zebra hides and leopard spots, and now that same equation has been used to model how leopard spots can morph to more complex patterns as they grow old.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

Turing had said two chemicals, known as morphogens interacted through a reaction diffusion equation to produce the different colours on the coats of big cats. While one morphogen caused the hair to turn black, another caused it to remain pale.

The differences in the rates at which these chemicals diffused through the coat, along with various reactions between the two, determined the patterns.

But Sy-Sang Liaw of National Chung-Hsing University in Taichung, Taiwan who replicated the patterns using Turing's equations, said their experiments revealed that more than just tweaking the parameters of the reaction-diffusion equation was needed to replicate the exact patterns on the model.

"The pattern of the jaguar was the hardest part. People who try to do the pattern with one stage only will never get it. You have to separate it into two stages," Nature quoted Liaw, as saying in his report in the Physical Review.

The task was to assume two stages of spot growth with different rules: the first to get the baby cats their spots, and the second to create the final configurations of spot patterns in adult cats, they said.

Anotida Madzvamuse, a mathematician who has worked on Turing models at Auburn University in Alabama, said as of now no one had found how the patterns created by these equations were made in a real cat, and the answer may lie in the changes due to size and age.

“No one has found a physical manifestation of morphogens, so it is unclear how the patterns created by these equations are actually made in a real cat. Adding two sets of rules for the morphogens complicates the picture even further. If it is a true reflection of what happens in cats, this means something to do with the animal's age must flip a switch in the biological rules by which their coat colours behave,” Madzvamuse said.

"Maybe the parameter values could be related to the size of the animal," he added.

Unveiling Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

Get Current Updates on India News, Election 2024, Mukhtar Ansari Death News Live, Bihar Board 10th Result 2024 Live along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 29, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On