How the zebra got its stripes – I’ll explain that and more about stripes. First though we have a greeting card in the on-line shop with a photo of a rear view of a zebra and text ‘Do my stripes look fat in this?’
The words are a play on the phrase when people ask whether they look fat in a particular piece of clothing, – like we all might do. It comes down to the belief tha horizontal stripes make a person look wider. Vertical stripes, on the other hand, are supposed to make a person look slimmer.
That was tested a couple of years ago and horizontal stripes don’t make a person look any fatter than vertical stripes. That’s probably because vertical stripes on an ample figure curve all over the place. So they are not exactly vertical. And on a slim person, horizontal or vertical stripes just make a person look what they are – slim!
Of course, zebra stripes are entirely fitting on a zebra. If we look at the rear end of a zebra, it’s pretty ample. But then, zebras are not people and it is people who get self conscious about how they look. Can you really imagine a zebra being worried about whether its bum looks big in those stripes.
Stripes have been around in the world of fashion for centuries. No, correct that – they have been around for thousands of years. Just think of the striped cloth headdresses of the pharaohs.
So what is the attraction that has carried them down through the years? Well, in two words – striking and versatile.
Striking doesn’t need much comment – how much more striking can you get than contrasting shapes and colours in a regular pattern.
And stripes sure are versatile. Think of the classic sailor’s hooped jersey. And then think of those edgy catwalk fashions that mix wide horizontal striped blouses with long, striped flaring trousers in some light, flouncy material.
That’s not forgetting the hooped jersey and black beret of the Frenchman riding home on his bicycle with a baguette under his arm. Or the robber with a striped jersey and a bag of swag over his shoulder. Or the Stars and Stripes American flag.
What Is A Stripe
In defining stripes, no one would exclude one because they are too wide or too narrow. No one doubts that pinstripes are still stripes.
The Oxford Dictionary defines a single stripe as a long, narrow band or strip differing in colour or texture from the surface on either side of it.
But one stripe isn’t enough. We need repetition, stripe after stripe after stripe. All the stripes don’t have to be the same colour, but they have to unite to form a ‘bigger picture’.
What about chevrons? Do they count? What about a top with chevrons going all the way around, like zig-zag waves in the sea. Would you call that a striped garment? Maybe. Maybe not.
That said, the Oxford Dictionary has got a second definition of stripes; a chevron on a uniform to denote military rank. Of course, that’s how you earn your stripes!
Back To Zebras And Their Stripes
Trust the people of the African continent to have a myth about how the zebra got its stripes . It is that zebras were once white. But one zebra not looking where it was going sat down in a fire and the embers burned its fur.
Science says otherwise – that the stripes are white and the background colour is dark – in case you were wondering.
And science also says that biting flies do not land on striped animals as much as on animals without stripes.
Flies are an example of a predator being confused by the markings on its target. And that leads on to the collective name for zebra, which is a dazzle. Dazzle camouflage is really important in zebras and I wrote about it here in an article on dazzle camouflage.
It’s about predators. Lions can only see in black and white, and when they see a dazzle of zebra they have trouble working out where one zebra ends and another zebra begins. And that leads to missed chances.
This is why young zebra have longer legs proportionate to their bodies compared to adult zebra. Lions could see a young zebra if its belly was below the level of the adults. But the bottom of the belly of a young zebra is at the same level as the adults so the lion doesn’t get any clues about where the vulnerable targets are.
So do we have answer to how the zebra got its stripes. Yes, maybe. Horses and zebras are close cousins. And horses don’t need stripes because their home isn’t where they would be a target animals for lions. So yes, maybe that will be a good enough answer.