Zoo #9 – Zebra

A sideways look at age, Blogging, Colin McQueen - writer, Getting Older, Humour, Poetry, Real life through the kaleidoscope of age 1 Minute

A quadrapedic barcode –
I refer to the zebra of course –
Has black stripes that serve as camouflage
And save it from being a horse.
A horse in stripy pyjamas
At large on the African plains –
You must feel would be less conspicuous
If its daywear was brown in the main.

I’ve never quite understood the concept that a black and white striped animal is camouflaged against the green/brown savannah.  If black and white stripes serve as camouflage, why on earth would you make pedestrian crossings out of them?  Madness!

Published by colinmcqueen

Published

10 thoughts on “Zoo #9 – Zebra”

  1. I’d be boring nerd and tell you why the black and white stripes are better camoflage, but I never fully understood it when I heard about it and now I’ve forgotten. Something to do with an optical illusion that makes the lion’s eyes go screwy so they can’t work out when the zebra is. Something like that.
    Still a fine poem though, especially like the idea of a horse in stripy pyjamas 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Well written once again. Love the quadrapedic barcode image.
    Nerd mark 2′ The stripes blend in with the waving grasses etc, and the shadows and light combine to make the beast blend better. into the background Apparently.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. I can tell why it is great camouflage But it’s boring. When you look at a herd of Zebra a lion can’t tell where one ends and one begins. It looks like one big animal and gives them pause. See Boring. I love the barcode image. As a retail guy, now I want to go to the zoo and scan one to see what price comes up

    Keep laughing

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Pingback: The Running Man in the Dark – Getting On

Comments are closed.