I just returned from South Africa, where the rangers were emphatic that the stripes are for camouflage. Not in the way we initially think when we hear camoufla

I just returned from South Africa, where the rangers were emphatic that the stripes are for camouflage. Not in the way we initially think when we hear camouflage either (to make them invisible), but to make it difficult for a predator to see how many zebras are in a group, and which way they're standing. Zebras can kick very hard, apparently, hard enough to easily kill a man, and if you don't know how many there are and which way they're facing, it makes sneaking up on a group risky.