Are zebras black? Most Africans would say ‘Yes!’
Have you ever visited a zoo or national park and got tempted to touch a zebra?
Ever been curious to feel its fur? Well, I have.
Unless the zebra is dead it won’t let anybody come close to it, let alone touch it. Their survival instinct is built around fear of being preyed on–run!
Zebras are simply one of the most beautiful animals in our national parks. But there is one mind-boggling question, “Are they black with white stripes or white with black stripes?”
Well, let’s crack the code in this black and white article, I did some heavy researching so that you don’t have to.
Genetics
Zebras genetically belong to the Equidae genus together with horses and donkeys. Apparently, one does not need a zoology diploma to spot their similarities.
Types of zebras
Three types of zebras exist in Africa:
The first type is the Grevy Zebra. This is the strongest and calmest type of zebra and back in the days, they used to carry cargo just like donkeys.
They have a huge body build and their most preferred habitat is the arid lands.
The second type is the Mountain Zebra and as its name suggests, this type of zebra habits the mountains.
The mountain zebra has a relatively smaller body build than the grevy and its belly does not have any stripes underneath.
Moreover, mountain zebras live in small groups and on most occasions, the male owns a couple of females while other unfortunate males live in separate groups.
Plains Zebra is the third and my personal favourite type of zebra. This type of zebra lives in the savannah plains of Sub-Saharan Africa. They are the most common type of zebras found in our national parks and their bellies are striped underneath.
Their true colour: Are zebras black with white stripes or vice-versa?
Truth is, most zebras have dark skin beneath their black and white fur.
“All the fur grows from follicles that contain the pigment-generating melanocyte cells. It’s just that in the white fur, these melanocytes are deactivated,” says Greg Barsh, a geneticist at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology.
In that sense, a shaved zebra would simply appear black.
Rare-melanated zebras exist in the Serengeti. You’ve probably heard of Tira, the dotted zebra and other blonde zebras whose fur looks bleached. Consider yourself lucky when you spot them.
Humans have for long tried to domesticate zebras without success, these striped ungulates are indomitable.
The most intriguing fact about zebras is the fact that they sleep while standing. Have you ever tried to voluntarily sleep while standing? Give it a try.