Barbara Brown, age 12, of Columbia,, S~:s for her questions

Is a zebra's coat dark stripes on light or light on dark?

Judging from Andys mail, this is a very popular puzzle, It is no trick riddle because it has a simple, scientific answer. The zebras stripes vary according to where he lives on the Dark Continent, Those with the darkest stripes live in the' forest areas of Central and East Africa, There the bright sunlight makes the most vivid patterns of light and shade, Zebra cousins with paler stripes live in the open country to the west, There the sunshine makes paler shadows in the tall grasses,

Not so long ago, a distant relative of the zebra lived in the open plains to the south, ‑He was a blondish fellow, with a few dark stripes on his head and shoulders, He was the quagga. extinct since 1872.

From this it would seem that the zebra wears his stripes to make himself invisible against his background. He is a blond or white animal with dark brown or black stripes. Should a stripeless zebra be born, the lions would soon spot him against his background, The poor little horse would be eaten before he had time to grow up and have more babies that took after him.