Concerning zebras, there exists a fundamental question…  Why the stripes?  This obvious inquiry reveals a head-scratching conundrum.  As it turns out, the stripes are camouflage.  Huh?  Bold black and white stripes on something that wants to keep a low profile?   Well, it doesn’t matter that the lines of tall grass in which the zebra seeks refuge are yellow, brown or green.  You see, the zebra’s main predator - the lion - is color blind, so it’s all a blur to him.

You might think this visual confusion would extend to zebras.  One can imagine all sorts of social faux pas among the striped equine set.  Although we humans and the lion can’t tell one zebra from another, each pattern of stripes is as different to zebras as blonde to brunette, as tuxedo to tank top is to us two-legged, individualistic creatures.

But zebras don’t depend solely on stripes for protection.  Their hearing is keen, with ears that rotate toward sounds that may portend danger.  They have sharp eyesight and their night vision is as good as an owl’s.  And once the male zebra finds a lady of an appealing stripe, he is quick to defend her and her offspring.  They have been known to kill a hyena with one swift kick, and the only way the lion can succeed in bringing a zebra down is to mount a side-flank attack, because the zebra kicks ferociously – but only straight back.

When stripes and kicking fail, zebras depend on that time-tested tradition of survival – hightailin’ it!  Zebras can run up to 45 mph.  Even newborns are ready to keep up with the herd within minutes of birth.  One understands why there are so many zebras and relatively fewer lions.

As zebras are part of the horse family, attempts have been made over the years to train them for riding or pulling.  The results are not black and white, but rather spotty.  The eccentric Lord Rothschild did manage to wrangle four zebras to pull his carriage, cutting quite a figure through Hyde Park at the turn of the century.  In 1899, Captain Horace Hayes trained a zebra for the circus ring, and the dear thing performed admirably – in the ring.  When Hayes led it from the tent and it regained sight and scent of the great outdoors, the zebra reverted to type.  It was uncontrollable.

At FootageBank HD, we have images of all stripes both tame and wild in crystal-clear High Definition.  To view and download zebra clips, click here.