Animal Heavenly Body – World Encyclopedia of Animals Vol.3 Zebra | Figure

IUCN · NEAR THREATENED · plains zebra status

One Statue. Two Habitats.

The head attaches to the plaque with a hidden magnet — lift it off whenever you like.

On the shelf: Trophy Hall

Mounted on its wood-grain shield plaque with a brass-style nameplate, it reads like a natural-history-museum exhibit — shrunk to the size of your palm.

Off the plaque: Fridge Guardian

Removed from its plaque, the zebra’s bold black-and-white face makes the most graphic accent on any magnetic surface.

Why the Stripes?

Scientists have argued about this for more than a century. The strongest modern evidence points to flies: in field experiments, biting horseflies approach striped coats but struggle to land on them. Stripes may also help with cooling and with confusing predators — but the fly shield is the leading answer.

Black on White, or White on Black?

Under the coat, a zebra’s skin is dark. Most biologists therefore describe it as a dark animal with white stripes rather than the other way around — a small fact that wins arguments at dinner.

Travel Partners

Plains zebras join wildebeest on East Africa’s Great Migration, and the partnership works for both: zebras crop the tall, coarse grass, and the wildebeest that follow graze the fresh shoots beneath. Meet the wildebeest in Vol.4.

A Family Portrait

A zebra foal learns its own mother’s pattern, along with her voice and scent, in the first days of life. Mountain zebras, the other members of Hippotigris, are listed as Vulnerable; the more widespread plains zebra is Near Threatened.