I really hate when science books say that an animal evolved something for it’s benefit. This is the classic lie that is told in grade and high school science classes. They make it seem that there was some intelligent mechanism that helped the animal to evolve, when instead if evolution is true then the only thing driving it is dumb luck.
imagine the sort of intelligence tha Zebra would have needed....to have chosen....to evolve.
even we modern humans.....cough cough...lack that kind of brain and will power .
“I really hate when science books say that an animal evolved something for it’s benefit”
Of course the animal doesn’t plan the mutation. You are right. But, logically the mutations that are carried on either do nothing harmful or are beneficial to the animal and its descendents. Since things like the Zebra’s stripes are not found in the fossil record, we are reduced to DNA hints and rare skin or feather fossils which don’t give information about color (amber trapped insects do I think).
It’s not evolution. It’s adaptation.
It’s not dumb luck, it’s natural selection. The language used is just a way to describe the factors that lead to the adaptation. Nobody is trying to imply intent.