My South African PH friend Keith Gradwell calls that the "sergeant's stripes" placement, which is what he advises for any zebra standing near broadside. We have a couple of zebra hides in the house with holes right there.
![[Linked Image]]( https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/gallery/80/medium/104347.jpg)
On a Hartmanns I was advised of the same as a hole in the stripe does not show on a rug as much. It resulted in a double shoulder shot and the old stallion made no more tracks. He was a battled scarred old stud and I don't regret taking him, scars were from other zebra and lions too. The scars remind me that there are still wild and wonderful places.
It is interesting that there are hybrids of the Zebra species and some like Hartmann/Burchell crosses have errant stripes. Still the epaulet stripe is a good target.
The striping is a very effective form of camouflage contrary to appearances. From a distance they morph into the heat waves. In thorn brush they disappear. Up close and in a herd it is like the "Dazzle Camouflage" for ships the disruptive pattern confuses the predators. The dazzle pattern was not used much in WWII but no ship painted with such was ever hit by a torpedo. Teddy Roosevelt wrote some interesting observations on zebras and their coloration. To sentimentalist that think I have shot cute horses just means they have never observed them in the wild. They are nasty, aggressive and quarrelsome, and the males fight constantly, but beautiful by any standard.
