Some animals whisper their way through the wild. Zebras don"t. They show up in high-contrast stripes, act like it"s the most practical outfit ever invented—and somehow, it is. These African equines come in three species. Plains zebras—featured in today"s image from Namibia"s Etosha National Park—wear bold stripes, mountain ones sport pinstripes, and Grévy"s go for the ultra-fine, designer look. No two patterns match, turning every individual into a walking fingerprint. Scientists believe those stripes help confuse predators, deter biting flies and even cool the body by creating tiny air currents.
Plains zebras, Etosha National Park, Namibia
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
-
Oud-West neighbourhood, Amsterdam, Netherlands
-
Northern hawk-owl, Canada
-
Merced River, Yosemite National Park, California, United States
-
Dragons Eye, Uttakleiv Beach, Norway
-
Ring of Brodgar, Orkney, Scotland
-
Tank Lakes, Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Washington, United States
-
Helsinki, Finland
-
Thorny devil, Australia
-
Lands End, Cornwall, England
-
Flooded crypt, Basilica of San Francesco, Ravenna, Italy
-
Cheetah in Maasai Mara
-
Yellow-billed hornbills in Kruger National Park, South Africa
-
The city of Osaka at night, Japan
-
Mototi octopus
-
Saint-François, Guadeloupe, Caribbean
-
Clark Range, Yosemite National Park, California, United States
-
Wahclella Falls, Oregon, USA
-
African elephants
-
Bernina Pass, Graubünden, Switzerland
-
Barrier reef off Grande Terre, New Caledonia, France
-
Eurasian red squirrel
-
Tasmanian snow gum, Mount Field National Park, Tasmania, Australia
-
Roques de Benet, Catalonia, Spain
-
Whooper swans
-
Ribblehead Viaduct, North Yorkshire, England
-
Medieval city walls, Ávila, Spain
-
Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia
-
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda
-
Jiaxiu Tower, Guiyang, China
-
Red-crowned crane
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

