When I enquired further about why the zebra and only the zebra had stripes, I was told in no uncertain terms by adults, that this was a marvelous adaptation to not being caught by a predator. I was told categorically that zebras live in tight large herds. When a lion attacks, the animals run in all directions where the striped pattern confuses the predator and they fail to target any single individual. I couldn’t really believe that explanation either – did they really think this adaptation could only evolve in zebras and not the wildebeest that migrate with them? To my mind, this adaptation must be something special about zebras and their vulnerability in Africa. Moreover, the wild ass species that inhabit India and the Tibetan plateau are not striped. Nor are the gazelles, antelopes, and wild cattle species that are thick on the ground in Africa. So, I needed an explanation that captured something special that related to zebras.