• Question: is it true that zebras have black skin underneath their fur?

    Asked by to Thon, James, Natalie, Shaylon on 25 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Shaylon Stolk

      Shaylon Stolk answered on 25 Jun 2014:

      Yes, they do. Although some individuals have brownish or pink skin (just like humans have variations in skin colour). Their stripes come from a pattern of white hairs on their coats. And no two zebras have the same stripe pattern– it’s like a fingerprint!

    • Photo: James Bell

      James Bell answered on 25 Jun 2014:

      Shaylon’s given you a good answer there, I’ll only add a question (don’t google the answer, try and guess – based on the question you submitted)

      If you shaved a tiger and a lion (who are the same size) and stood them next to each other, how could you tell them apart?

      (Obviously you shouldn’t actually try and shave a tiger or a lion…)

    • Photo: Natalie Pilakouta

      Natalie Pilakouta answered on 25 Jun 2014:

      Just to clarify, zebras have dark skin but the black stripes you see are actually black fur (not the skin itself) and of course the white stripes are white fur. Also keep in mind that there are three zebra species and they have some slight differences in their stripes. For example, some have narrower stripes and some have broader stripes, and one of these species has some gray-ish fur in addition to the black and white stripes.

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