Black and White and Striped All Over: Zebras

23 Feb
2010

No other animal has a more recognizable coat than the zebra. A zebra’s stripes are as different as human fingerprints, no two are the same. Why are they striped? Well, there are only theories, which center on their utility as some form of camouflage. The patterns may make it difficult for predators to identify a single animal from a running herd and distort distance at dawn and dusk. They also might dissuade insects from having their breakfast meal on them due to insects only recognizing large areas of single-colored fur. Regardless of the why’s and wherefores’ there is no denying this herbivore’s beauty, as depicted and sometimes altered through the camera, illustration or computer rendered images below.