Zebra Stripes, Human Fingerprints and Camouflage

The black stripes on the zebra’s white coat is very much appreciated by wildlife lovers. But, you might wonder how something that stands out so vividly for us is good for protecting it in the form of camouflage. Well, in fact it is.


The Zebra’s main predator, the lion is color blind and the black stripes merge well with the blades of grass in the savannahs and woodlands. But, this does not ensure it total protection, but coupled with the zebra’s nature to stay in a large group ensures it remains safe most of the times.


If you understand how predators such a lion and tiger hunt, you will know that they single out their prey in the distance, chalk out a line of attack, create a plan, get closer and then use strength, stealth and/or camouflage to surprise its prey.


When the zebra sticks with its own kind, the maze of stripes look to the lion as a massive body that is moving in multiple directions. This throws off all the attack calculations in the lion’s head and thus ensures that the zebra remains safe for the time being.


Now, coming to the other interesting thing about the zebra stripes. To the normal human eye, the appealing stripes of the zebra look the same. But, in reality, the print pattern on each zebra is as unique as the human fingerprint. And the most interesting fact is that even though their stripes are different, the zebra tracks its  family by their pattern type. This is how a foal find its mother and stays out of danger.