Re: why (evolutionarily) are zebras striped?

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Article #2737

#2737

From: Ann Lindstrom
Date: Mon, 04 Jan 1993 18:05

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I have read that the stripes are for camoflage, but not for camofalge with the
african planes.  The theory is that a predator (lion, for instance), wil not
spring on its prey unless it can clrearly "target" the prey animal.  Since
zebras live in herds, the stripes break up the body pattern of the individual
zebra, thus the predator will not attack that animal.  Think of a bunch of zebras standing together, facing all different directions, and the patterns that 
are created.

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Newsgroups: sci.bio
Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!sparky!uunet!psinntp!plx!ann
From: ann@plx.com (Ann Lindstrom)
Subject: Re: why (evolutionarily) are zebras striped?
Message-ID: <1993Jan4.180533.13810@plx.com>
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References: <1992Dec31.204015.18922@husc3.harvard.edu> <1i494mINN86i@iraul1.ira.uka.de>
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Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 18:05:33 GMT
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