Stripes
At first glance zebras in a herd might all look alike, but their
stripe patterns are as distinctive as fingerprints are in man.
Scientists can identify individual zebras by comparing patterns,
stripe widths, color and scars
The subspecies found north of the Zambezi river has evenly spaced
dark stripes as compared to those found in the south
of the Zambezi having broad stripes with brown " shadow
stripes" between the dark lines.
Zebras have shiny coats that dissipate over 70 percent of incoming
heat, and some scientists believe the stripes help the animals
withstand intense solar radiation. The black and white stripes
are a form of camouflage called disruptive coloration that breaks
up the outline of the body. Although the pattern is visible during
daytime, at dawn or in the evening when their predators are most
active, zebras look indistinct and may confuse predators by distorting
true distance
It has always been assumed that the zebra’s stripes are
for camouflage but even in woodland cover, this is not convincing,
besides which, they often spend their time on open grasslands
where they are very conspicuous because of their stripes.
One theory is that it serves to create an optical illusion of
them being larger than they are or to confuse predators of their
exact position when striking.
Their real purpose can only be speculation by humans and the
animals won't tell us |
Zebra
foal 
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