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| Zebra family in Serengeti National Park,Tanzania |
No animal has a more distinctive coat than the zebra. Each animal's
stripes are as unique as fingerprints—no two are exactly alike—although
each of the three species has its own general pattern.
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| Zebra family in the Ngorongoro Crater,Tanzania. |
Why do zebras have stripes at all? Scientists aren't sure, but many
theories 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. Or they may
dissuade insects that recognize only large areas of single-colored fur
or act as a kind of natural sunscreen. Because of their uniqueness,
stripes may also help zebras recognize one another.
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