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Color Accurate Zebra Cupcakes!

I think too much about equine color sometimes. http://www.virtualpwnies.blogspot.com/2012/11/halloween-12-zebra-cupcak… Does this count as the right forum section if the color is based on an equine but made on a cupcake? :P

rabbitsfizz Sun, 11/04/2012 - 16:00

This is your friendly neighbourhood spelling nazi- [u]TatToo[/u]!!! It even says it on the pack, right there for you to copy.....
Zebras are thought to be red based- I thought.....should have thought someone could have tested them by now, though, there are enough in captivity!
Oh and teaching an animal of any sort to discriminate snacks on the base of looks....waste of time, trust me!
Same problem with men, though....you do not weld the fridge door shut, they eat it.
"Honey, did you see the three week old cheese I put by to use as dog treats at Agility??"

Threnody Sun, 11/04/2012 - 16:20

I never said they were black based, just that their skin under the hair was black. Hence the chocolate frosting. I never even got into the specifics of base color, just that it isn't white and quaggas have brown tones (not brown as in agouti brown).

I can try to see if I can squeeze another T in there.

Threnody Fri, 11/09/2012 - 23:24

In exciting and oddly related news, I may have a chance to obtain zebra hair samples to test. My alma mater is in contact with the Philadelphia Zoo and the head of the biology department is going to give me contact information to obtain samples. She made my day when she told me this yesterday when we ran into one another and started talking. Sample collection likely won't happen until closer to spring when her students make a trip out there.

I also need to ask testing facilities some questions. I know there is an extension test specifically for donkeys. Although extension is on the same shared chromosome across all equids, I'm guessing this test accounts for the chromosome number disparity between species. The big question will be agouti. We have the agouti test for horses, but no agouti test for donkeys. And this makes me wonder about test accuracy since zebras are closer genetically to donkeys than horses.

I'm also tempted to see if the No Light Points (pangare) gene test for donkeys would also be something to test for. Since quaggas appeared to display pangare in their non-striped areas. And if it's similar to (or the same mutation as) donkey pangare it would dilute both red and black pigment. If zebras are hypothetically black based with agouti, having pangare would explain why they didn't have black expressing on their lower legs.

I'm hoping the tests we have currently could be used with zebra DNA.

rabbitsfizz Sat, 11/10/2012 - 11:58

Just remember not to cover the thing in frosting or do a Homer Simpson like "Zebra......yum" (insert drool)