In what Nature is concerned, nothing is at random!
A leopard's coat pattern is different from that of other wild cats
Leopards' spots and tigers' stripes are a camouflage closely tied to their habitats, researchers say.
A UK team examined the flank markings of 37 species of wild cats in a bid to understand the spectacular variety of their colour patterns.
The scientists say that cats living in the trees and active at low light levels are the most likely to have complex and irregular patterns.
It is not the first study to suggest that wild cats need spots to "vanish" in dense forests, sandy deserts or snowy mountains.
But this time, the researchers analysed the colour patterns' detailed shapes and complexities, stating that these two factors are vital for camouflage.
To examine different patterns, the team used images obtained from the internet and classified them with the help of mathematical formulas.
"[Some species] are particularly irregularly and complexly spotted," William Allen from the University of Bristol, the lead author of the study, told BBC News.
"The pattern depends on the habitat and also on how the species uses its habitat - if it uses it at night time or if it lives in the trees rather than on the ground, the pattern is especially irregularly spotted or complexly spotted."
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