Striped Body Paint Deters Flies

Most indigenous communities that paint their bodies live in regions swarming with bloodsucking horseflies, mosquitoes, or tsetse flies, and a 2019 study showed that white painted stripes can protect their skin from insect bites. Researchers found that white stripes on a dark background disrupt how these insects see and land, so fewer flies manage to bite striped skin. This visual confusion lowers the number of bites people receive.

Previous Fact Next Fact