Burchell's zebras, Rietvlei Nature Reserve, South Africa
© Richard Du Toit/Minden Picture
A dazzling sight. Burchell's zebras for International Zebra Day
It's International Zebra Day, and we're giving a shout-out to the flashiest animal on the African savanna. It's a day to raise awareness of these distinctive creatures and encourage measures to protect them and their habitat. This group of Burchell's zebras is hanging out at Rietvlei Nature Reserve in South Africa.
The most attention-grabbing feature of a zebra is, of course, those unique stripes. In recent years, researchers have found that the high-contrast patterns of zebra stripes seem to confuse horseflies as they approach, causing them to veer away or bounce off. Horseflies in Africa carry diseases that can be lethal to zebras, so the stripes do a lot more than just make them look fancy.
Related Images
Bing Today Images
Plains zebras, Etosha National Park, Namibia
Jan 31, 2026
Mittenwalder Hütte in the Bavarian Alps of Germany
Jan 31, 2021
A reddish egret hunts in Fort De Soto Park, Florida
Jan 31, 2020
Sunbeams across Tartu County, Estonia
Jan 31, 2018
Gentoo penguin on Cuverville Island, Antarctica
Jan 31, 2017
Interstate H-3 on the island of Oahu, Hawaii
Jan 31, 2016
Swift fox pups in Grasslands National Park near Val Marie in Saskatchewan, Canada
Gelada monkeys in Simien Mountains National Park, northern Ethiopia
Gerenuk in Tsavo National Parks, Kenya
Glastonbury Tor and St. Michael's Tower in England for the start of the Glastonbury Festival
An old farm in the Shetland Islands, Scotland
Peel Castle on St. Patrick’s Isle, Isle of Man
Zebras in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
Hope Valley, Peak District, England