eyestripes

Eyestripes are a pattern of pigmentation that forms dark lines or stripes around or extending from the eyes. The term is informal and not a formal anatomical category; it is used mainly in descriptive accounts of facial markings in animals and, less commonly, in humans or fashion contexts.

In the animal world, the best-known example is the cheetah, which has prominent black tear-like lines that run from the inner corners of the eyes down the cheeks toward the mouth. Similar eye-region markings occur in other cats and carnivores in various forms, and in some species these stripes are an important component of facial camouflage or signaling. Eye-stripe patterns are also observed in other wildlife, though their appearance and prominence can vary widely between species.

Proposed functions for eye-stripe markings include reducing glare from sunlight to improve focus during fast pursuits, shading the eyes to improve vision, aiding individual recognition within a species, or serving as social signals. Despite these hypotheses, there is no single, universally accepted explanation, and the adaptive value of such markings is likely context-dependent and species-specific.

In humans, pigmentation or makeup around the eyes can create the appearance of eye stripes, but this is typically cosmetic or incidental rather than a fixed anatomical feature. The term eyestripes is more common in zoological descriptions and popular writing than in clinical or formal anatomy.