A MONOCHROME MARCH OF ZEBRA
In the early days of their development, most mammals were nocturnal. There was no need for colour, which explains why most megafauna are a dull grey or brown. One exception is the zebra, whose colour scheme has inspired pedestrian crossings worldwide.
According to Rudyard Kipling, zebra “grew stripey” with “the slippery-slidy shadow of the trees falling on them”, but scientists have a host of theories. Some say the linear look is used to detract flies, while others think alternate black and white patches help regulate temperature. The latest and most appealing explanation suggests the simple stripes are used to create a confusing “motion dazzle”, preventing colour-blind predators from locking on to their target.
Whatever the reason, watching hundreds of zebra gallop across the plains is certainly mesmerising and a common sight during their mass migration across Botswana’s Makgadikgadi Pans. Travelling from Moremi and the Okavango Delta, 15,000 of the African equines follow rains hitting the country’s remote salt pans in December, feeding on surrounding nutritious grass areas until February. These routes were temporarily blocked by fences to keep lions away from cattle, but the revival of Botswana’s zebra migrations is proof that animals’ ancestral paths can be recovered. Natural Selection (0027 21 001 1574; naturalselection.travel) offers a seven-night safari to witness the zebra migration in the Makgadikgadi, staying at Camp Kalahari and Meno a Kwena plus two nights in the Okavango Delta, from £2,202 per person, excluding international flights.