Zebra Stripes and Other Camouflage: What Are Those Zebra Prints and Other Animal Prints For?

Of all the classic animal prints, zebra is one of the favorites. It brings to mind not only African safaris, casual Out-of-Africa touch, but also something altogether different: glamor, opulence, and style. The crispness of black and white combination is timeless and is always present in fashion design (shoes, clothing, accessories), home design: bedding (comforters, sheets, pillows), rugs, and other elements.

Zebras distinctive white and black stripes come in different patterns that are unique to each individual.

Some zoologists believe that the stripes act as a camouflage mechanism. This is accomplished in several ways. First, the vertical striping helps the zebra hide in grass. While seeming absurd at first glance considering that grass is neither white nor black, it is supposed to be effective against the zebra’s main predator, the lion, which is color blind. Theoretically a zebra standing still in tall grass may not be noticed at all by a lion. Additionally, since zebras are herd animals, the stripes may help to confuse predators – a number of zebras standing or moving close together may appear as one large animal, making it more difficult for the lion to pick out any single zebra to attack. A herd of zebras scattering to avoid a predator will also represent to that predator a confused mass of vertical stripes traveling in multiple directions making it difficult for the predator to track an individual visually as it separates from its herd mates, although biologists have never observed lions appearing confused by zebra stripes.

Stripes are also believed to play a role in sexual attractions, with slight variations of the pattern allowing the animals to distinguish between individuals.

While the crispness of black and white combination will always be timeless, why not be daring and experiment a little with some bright colors? How about some hot pink, red, green, or blue – to forget the camouflage and make a happy combination.

An Extremely Rare Rainbow Zebra by Creativity+ Timothy K Hamilton's photostream Flickr.com

Read more about zebra print and other animal prints.

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