Why do tigers have stripes? – Vidit M., age 8, New Delhi, India When tigers stalk their prey, usually in the murky light of dusk or dawn, they are nearly invisible.

Beneath their fur, tigers possess a feature that sets them apart from other big cats or any other animal on the planet. If you were to shave a tiger (but for your own sake, please don't) you will ...

International Tiger Day aims to bring together individuals, groups, communities and governments to join hands to save tigers.

The proteins behind fur patterns are identified.“Turing was one of the first people to have the boldness to deal with biology in a mathematical framework,” Green says. “He was way ahead of his time.” ...

More than 70 years ago, mathematician Alan Turing proposed a mechanism that explained how patterns could emerge from bland uniformity. Scientists are still using his model—and adding new twists ...

Turing patterns offer insight into (among other things) the patterns we find on animals, whether it’s the splotches on giraffes, the dot-and-line motifs on whale sharks, or the stripes on tigers.

Each tiger’s markings are unique. Their stripes are as individual as fingerprints are for humans. Most tigers have over 100 stripes. In the wild, a tiger’s stripes are important for survival.

>> View the Tiger Stripes and Turing Patterns slide show For the work that led to his 1952 paper, Turing wanted to understand the underlying mechanism that produces natural patterns.

The animals can possess different patterns, from a small patch of white on their heads to bold white stripes that merge into a cape-like pattern. There can even be all-white or all-black animals.

There’s a reason fashion designers look to animal prints for inspiration. Creatures have evolved a dizzying array of patterns: stripes, spots, diamonds, chevrons, hexagons and even mazelike designs.