Why are zebras black and white?
Answer Dear Karli Thanks for your question. I have looked up various websites for you and wish to thank the authors for their useful information. June M. Wingert (http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/nov99/941836717.Zo.r.html) says that many people think that the stripes prevent zebras from being seen by lions, hyenas and other predators such as lions or hyenas, as the alternating stripes obscure the outline of the zebra. This may serve as camoflage, allowing the zebra to blend in with its backgound and/or it may make it difficult for a predator to determine the distance of the fleeing zebra. Another idea contends that the stripes obliterate a large single-colored region favoured by tsetse flies and other biting insects, which prefer large, dark, moving animals. The website contains details of the original sources of these ideas. HowStuffWorks (http://science.howstuffworks.com/question454.htm) also considers this problem. One idea is that the stripes are a simple pattern-camouflage. Th
