The
functional explanation to camouflage is that it is a behavior that evolved as
an advantage to the organism. The advantage being that utilizing camouflage
will enable the animal to be blend into the background and be less attractive
to predators. When I think about camouflage the first image that pops into my
head is the Chameleon. You know that color changing lizard that we all
associate with the country of Madagascar.
The
last animal we would probably associate with trait of camouflage is the zebra.
How can the distinctive patterns of the zebra make it less attractive to a
predator? If anything the unique black and white stripes would stand out in the
tall green and brown grasses of the African savannah.
Well
in the case of the zebra camouflage works a different way than just simply
allowing the animal to disappear into the environment. The type of camouflage that
acts in the favor of the zebra is called pattern camouflage. This means that
the line pattern of the zebra blends in with the pattern of the savannah
grasses where zebras are usually found. The difference in color between the zebra
and the grasses is not a factor. Why might you wonder? Well it just so happens that
the lion, which is the main predator of the zebra is color blind! Of course
that is not a mere coincidence, it’s the functional explanation.
The
trick to the pattern camouflage of the zebra is that they always gather in
large groups. This particular arrangement confuses the colorblind lion to an
even greater extent according to the Animal Planet. When the hungry lion comes
upon a large pack of zebra’s grazing all he can actually visualize is a big
mass or lines that don’t seem to have a beginning or end. It would be very
difficult for a lion to attack when he can’t see where the head or the tail of
a zebra is positioned. The only way the lion can succeed in catching the zebra
is if the herd breaks up and the zebra is isolated.
Who
knew a zebra had such a trick up its sleeve. Maybe next time we watch a zebra
and lion confrontation we will feel sorry for the lion that faces such confusion
due to the pattern camouflage of the zebra.
