ELI5…. Zebras do not seem to blend in to their surroundings.
Why did they not evolve as a breed to be camouflaged?
How did these seemingly brightly colored animals survive predators?
In: Biology
Zebras have something that other prey animals of the savanna lack: a horse’s kick.
Zebra stripes are horrendous for blending into the savanna, but they’re very good at breaking up their own silhouette. It’s been theorized that this helps them blend together in a herd, like how dazzle camouflage works on warships. But how does that help them? Well, a kick from a zebra’s rear leg can kill a lion outright, or break its jaw, which is a slightly slower death sentence. If it’s hard to see in the moment where one zebra begins and another ends, a misjudged pounce can be incredibly dangerous for anyone hunting zebras.
There’s been studies showing that it has an effect on biting insects, but this doesn’t explain why this adaptation is unique to zebras. Other prey animals like antelope don’t have this strong kick for defense. Wild horses in Eurasia aren’t preyed on by pouncers.
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