To create a breeze over their skin.
The black absorbs sunlight and gets warm, see, and the white reflects it, remaining cool, and thus the two together creates a lovely breeze over them, cooling them in the hot Bristol zoo.
It also helps keep them camoflage from the zoo keeper.
Sometimes he comes out to feed them, and thinks they've disappeared!
(,
Tue 24 Jun 2008, 12:37,
archived)
The black absorbs sunlight and gets warm, see, and the white reflects it, remaining cool, and thus the two together creates a lovely breeze over them, cooling them in the hot Bristol zoo.
It also helps keep them camoflage from the zoo keeper.
Sometimes he comes out to feed them, and thinks they've disappeared!