I  love Zebras. I always have.

I look at a major Zebra portrait in our home daily and I get soft and squishy when I see photos of these magical creatures. 

I am not sure why I have such a fascination with the Zebras, but maybe it has to do with the graphic stripes designed by nature. 

We saw them every day on the eight day excursion in Tanzania in the Ngorongoro Crater, the Serengeti and the Tarangire National Park . 

They are skittish making capturing photos a challenge.  When we drove near a group, heads would pop up, giving us quizzical looks even thought they see Safari Jeeps every day. After checking us out, most would turn on their heels and head away.  

  I have lots of lots of photos of the rear ends of these guys.  

 I wanted to know if the black white stripes functioned more than being aesthetically pleasing. Turns out they do. 

The stripes camouflage the animals. When a lion is looking for dinner, he will typically zero in on one at a time. The targeted zebra can blend into the herd making it difficult for the lion to track his target. 

The coloration is also a repellent for the nasty tsetse fly, common in the area. While the flies like dark colors, they don’t like white. The stripes confuse them.

Another reason for the stripes  is the weather.  White repels  heat while black absorbs it, making the zebras comfortable in all seasons. 

We were fortunate to be in Tanzania during the season when the Moms give birth. The cute babies captivated us endlessly.  Do note that babies are more brownish in color, turning black and white as they grow up. 

And this made me laugh……was this zebra doing a belly laugh because we looked so silly in our safari jeeps and safari clothes?  Or did she need to scratch her back?

And lastly, of course, the design of these magical creatures is copied.  Can’t resist.

The organizer of our trip to Tanzania was Brilliant Africa out of England.

brilliant-africa.com