It's zany zebra Monday and I'll start with a question. Are zebras white with black stripes, or black with white stripes? Turns out that in the womb, teeny tiny zebra embryos are in fact brown. Their white stripes develop a little later on and their brown stripes turn black as they mature after birth. Another big zebra question is - Why? Why the stripes? Scientists have been puzzling over this one for many decades. A recent scientific breakthrough shows that it could be a way to ward off biting insects. Does this mean that our safari khakis should really be a more racy black and white outfit? Because I've had plenty of tsetse fly bites ruin a game drive, and a simple striped solution would suit me just fine. I'd also love to see game rangers sport some stripey shorts.
Without further ado, here are ten fun facts about zebras to help chase away the Monday blues.
Zany Zebra Facts
- Zebras are black with white stripes
- A zebra's stripes help ward off biting insects (source)
- Zebra's sleep standing up
- Zebras live in harems (usually one male with up to six females)
- Zebras can kick hard, they've been known to kill hyenas
- Zebra belong to the Equus genus (along with horses and donkeys)
- There are 3 species of zebra: Grevy's, Burchell's, and Mountain zebra
- Zebras live up to 25 years
- No two zebras are alike, their stripe patterns are unique like our finger prints
- Zebras always look healthy (a personal and completely unscientific observation)
More About Zebras: Witness the Great Migration l Visit Serengeti National Park l Zebra and Wildebeest - BFF's
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