Why do zebras have stripes?

Zebras were once completely black but one day a zebra stood next to a white picket fence that was being painted and the result is history.  Okay, maybe not.  It is for camouflage purposes.  The stripes help the zebra hide against the long grass.

Image Credit Flickr User alles-schlumpf

It is irrelevant that the zebra’s stripes are not green or orange, like the grass, because the zebra’s main predator is the lion.  The lion is color blind and so will not be able to see the difference between the different colors.  Another reason is so that zebras all look the same.  A lion will try and pick off a weak animal, but when the zebras run as the lion attacks, they all look identical to the lion – or at least that is the plan!  It is also thought that the stripes make it difficult for the lion to guess which way a zebra is moving. Of course, when the lion is your main predator, it's no laughing matter,