Getting Your Bush Bearings

🦓 Myth: Zebra stripes are for camouflage. It seems obvious doesn't it? Black and white stripes equal dappled light and shadow in the African bush. Surely the stripes help zebras blend into their environment and confuse predators. There's just one problem — lions are partially colorblind and hunt primarily at dawn, dusk and night. A zebra on an open savannah is not hiding from anything.

The camouflage theory has been largely discredited by modern science. And what researchers have found instead is far more fascinating. So what are the stripes actually for? Science currently points to one surprisingly unglamorous answer — flies. Specifically biting flies — horseflies and tsetse flies that transmit disease and cause enormous stress to large mammals across Africa. Studies have shown that biting flies almost never land on striped surfaces. The pattern appears to interfere with the polarized light signals that flies use to locate hosts. The zebra's extraordinary coat is essentially the world's most elegant insect repellent.

But the science doesn't stop there, other theories with supporting evidence include: Heat regulation — black and white stripes may create tiny air currents that cool the skin. Individual recognition — no two zebras have identical stripes, allowing herd members to recognize each other. Motion dazzle — stripes may confuse predators about speed and direction during a chase rather than concealing the animal entirely.

It's a black and white puzzle that science is still unravelling. The honest answer is that the stripes probably do several things at once. Evolution rarely produces single purpose solutions, and the zebra has had a very long time to get this right. 🌍

At Makomkom we go deeper — because even the most familiar animals are still full of surprises.