Hypothesis 3: Warning Do not mess with a zebra. Many animals use camouflage, however zebras travel in groups and defend themselves, two characteristics not associated with camouflaging animals. Another long-believed hypothesis is that zebras can camouflage and hide from predators amongst the trees because of their stripes. Hypothesis 2: Camouflage What else looks like stripes in a savannah? Tree branches and tall grass look somewhat similar. Can you see how that could be a bit bewildering? While confusing a predator is the most commonly repeated theory about why zebras have stripes, there’s a catch: lions do most of their hunting at night when the striping effect is less noticeable. Hard to focus, right? Now imagine you are a lion and your hand is fifty zebras running away from you. Hypothesis 1: Predator confusion Spread your fingers out in front of your face and move your hand left and right quickly. Here are just a few of the explanations scientists have proposed about those dazzling zebra stripes over the years, and how they are holding up to research.
So just because there are flaws discovered with a hypothesis, it doesn’t mean the effort wasn’t hugely beneficial in advancing our scientific understanding. Our understanding of how the natural world works changes as we continue to ask questions, design good experiments and collect data. They are true until proven otherwise, a fundamental aspect of scientific exploration. These educated guesses are tentative, a building block from which to base other research and allow for others to test. Many scientists have proposed ideas on why zebras have stripes.
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