Ms. Barrett said...
Questions from Kelsey G. (pd. 3)

Besides identifying what species the zebras are, do the stripes tell a story?

Were zebras ever poached for their striped fur?

K,
1. A zebra's stripes serve many purposes, they help researchers identify them because like a snowflake, each zebra has a different stripe pattern, their stripes help them keep warm and cool, plus their stripes help them to blend into their environment.

Also, the African people have many folktales about how the zebras got their stripes. One talks about how the zebra and the horse were invited to a dance but had nothing to wear. The zebra asked the horse to decorate its body with paint. The zebra loved the design so much that it refused to paint the horse. Thus, the zebra has stripes and the horse does not.

2. Yes, zebras were and still are killed for thier skins. The Grevy's is protected but the Plains zebra can still be shot in some areas of Africa, like in South Africa, for its skin.

--Michael-LA ZOO