Funny Holidays - International Zebra Day

Human activity in the development of nature has led to the extinction of many species of fauna Thus, the population of mountain and desert zebras is now under threat of extinction These mammals belong to the order of equids; their closest relatives are horses and wild asses The black-and-white beauties, native to Eastern and Southern Africa, were first destroyed in the 18th century after the arrival of Dutch settlers The meat of quagga, savannah zebra, and boer was used for food; shoes, waterskins, and other accessories were made from the skin The last representative of this species was killed in 1878 The skin of a “tiger horse” (as the ancient Romans called zebras) is one of the popular hunting trophies on safaris held in South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Namibia and other African countries The population of equine mammals is declining not only due to shooting, but also due to abnormal droughts, depriving the animals of a food source Wildlife advocates are highlighting the gradual extinction of two of the three existing species - the Grévy and the mountain zebra The National Museum of Natural History, the Smithsonian Institute of Zoology and Conservation Biology, and other organizations initiated the appearance of a special date on the calendar January 31 is International Zebra Day The colors of these amazing animals have been the object of close study by scientists for decades There are many versions of the purpose of black and white stripes, but none of the explanations satisfies the minds of researchers Initially, scientists suggested that the colors serve to camouflage and disorient enemies - lions, cheetahs, tigers and alligators Indeed, the black stripes on the body of the quagga zebra were located on a sandy background, therefore they served as camouflage, allowing them to visually merge with nature There is also a version that such colors are necessary for thermoregulation in hot weather conditions The latest hypothesis was put forward about stripes on the skin that save zebras from annoying insects such as horseflies, which are disoriented by the unusual pattern Scientists cannot agree on the unusual coloring of the “tiger horse” But they have clearly established that the striped pattern on the body of each animal is individual and is not repeated in other representatives of the species International Zebra Day encourages people to take action to protect the lowland (Burchellian), Cape mountain and Grévy's zebra These animals can live in captivity, as they can be trained and domesticated But the natural habitat of zebras is the South African savannah, the highlands of South Africa and Namibia "Striped horses" must live and reproduce in natural conditions Preserving unique animals on the planet is the main goal of International Zebra Day