Why do zebras have stripes?
Each zebra’s stripe pattern differs, allowing researchers to identify individual animals. Whether zebras themselves use these patterns for individual recognition is a plausible but not conclusively demonstrated hypothesis.
Illustration is AI-generated and conceptual, not a photograph of a particular herd or experiment.
The best experimentally supported explanation for striped coats is their effect on blood-feeding flies, including horseflies: a striped pattern reduces the likelihood of successful approach or landing. The exact mechanism is still debated. Popular explanations involving camouflage from predators or body cooling have much weaker experimental support.