Patterns with larger and rounder spots can increase the chance of a baby giraffe surviving its first four months, because they help them blend into the background in the dappled light near bushes.

As described in a study published today in the journal PeerJ, the scientists found that certain aspects of a giraffe’s spot pattern are heritable, and appear to impact a young giraffe’s ...

David Bright, one of the zoo’s owners, said the plain brown animal is a rarity: Research found another giraffe that was born without a pattern in Tokyo in 1972 and two others before that.