Wild Fact #975 – Optical Illusion – Zebra
Before we get into today’s fact I am going to ask you what colour is the zebra? Is it black with white stripes or white with black stripes? I want you to think about this and I will provide the answer at the end of the today’s fact (don’t even think about scrolling down to cheat!).
Whether the zebra is black or white is irrelevant since I want to talk about the purpose of these stripes. Believe it or not the zebra is not striped just to make a fashion statement to all other members of the horse family. No, the stripes actually serve several purposes. For starters, it is believed that the stripes offer some sort of camoflage for zebras. I know you are probably thinking that they stick out like a sore thumb so how can it possibly be for camoflage. Well, predators such as lions are coloured blind so they may actually have a tough time distinguishing between tall grass and a perfectly motionless zebra. As well, when a lion sees a herd of 10 zebras it may look like one massive striped blob to them. The stripes of one zebra blends in wih the stripes of another so the lion has difficulty distinguishing individual zebras. As well, when a herd of zebras split up and begin running in different directions, the lion has a tough time determining which zebra is coming or going.
Okay, so the stripes of the zebra are able to confuse their main predator but does it also confuse their friends, other zebras? Believe it or not, the stripes actually act as distinguishing marks for other zebras. They are able to tell each other apart by the striped pattern. Basically, it is like each zebra is wearing one of those “Hello My Name Is___________” tags on its shoulder. Each zebra is striped differently so just like human fingerprints, no two are the same!
All right, so what is it? Are zebra’s black with white stripes or white with black stripes? It was originally believed that zebra’s were white with black stripes since the underbelly is also white; however, embryological evidence suggests that the zebra’s background colour is black and the white stripes are simply the absence of pigmentation. There you have it, zebra’s are black with white stripes!
I hope you enjoyed today’s post! Have a great weekend!
September 25th, 2009 at 5:52 AM
Thanks for the great zebra post! Can’t wait till Monday to see what you have waiting for us…
September 25th, 2009 at 4:29 PM
I love it – I was one of those that thought the zebra was white with black stripes. Thanks for clearing that up. Hope you have a wonderful weekend and look forward to Monday’s post.
September 25th, 2009 at 10:18 PM
Thanks for the kind words, my two favourite Aunts! I will be sure to make Monday’s post extra awesome.. just for you two!
Have a great weekend!
September 27th, 2009 at 3:56 AM
Quite Interesting! Nature is indeed amazing. I never knew that zebras’ stripes are also unique like our finger prints! Thanks for sharing. And yes, I really your writing style: you present facts in a very interesting manner
September 28th, 2009 at 10:18 PM
Thanks for stopping by Meam Wye! It is absolutely incredible to think that every zebra’s stripes are different. These unique characteristics make wildlife so fascinating! Thanks again for the nice compliments! I really do appreciate your support.
March 5th, 2010 at 10:20 AM
i luv it its good to find out all about animals
March 6th, 2010 at 7:09 PM
Thanks for stopping by Allayah! Don’t hesitate to contact me if you ever have any animal related questions.
January 31st, 2012 at 9:14 AM
WOw i just love Zebras cuz i love horses and i never knew all that and i always knew that there stripes did something like that i love them now and i never know they were black with white stripes i would say the oppset
January 31st, 2012 at 11:11 AM
hahahaha….It is hard to tell what colour the zebra really is just by looking at them.
They are beautiful creatures and the stripes are useful.
Thanks for the comment.