Zebras! There is nothing like catching a glimpse of the black and white stripes in the African savanna - they are so mesmerizing!Image
We were thrilled to see several dazzles (a group of zebras) in Nairobi National Park on our game drive - always fun to see the stripes on the wild animals with the back drop of the Nairobi skyline! We were also warned that we might not see zebras once we get to the Mara because zebras and wildebeasts migrate south to the Serengeti (basically the same lands as the Mara, just across the Tanzanian border) and will return to the Mara starting in June (that's when the busy season starts in the Mara with increased visitors hoping to witness the migration).
As evident from previous posts, our game drives in the Mara were quite exciting and we were not disappointed the first few drives that we had not spotted any zebra since we had already seen them in Nairobi. However, our paths would eventually cross the paths of some zebras in the Mara who forgot to set their alarm for the migration and were left behind. The first dazzle we saw up north when we traveled up to the Maasai community. Kifa pointed out that these zebras had been left behind for some reason, and then likely formed a group of five to hang out together until the masses of zebras returned with the migration. He pointed out they were quite vulnerable to predators without a large group, so we wished them the best as we drove off.
Eventually we saw a few more dazzles left behind, and it was always delightful to spot them in the grasses of the savanna. We learned a lot about zebras from our 2 guides - zebras with black dominant stripes are male, and white dominant stripes are female. It can be hard to spot the difference, but we got to be quite good at it eventually. We also learned that females can actually have a dark brown (instead of black) color - especially younger ones. The stripes work to their advantage in large groups (dazzle) and close together as a predator can't tell where one ends and another begins! *Note: we confirmed all our facts about zebras and other animals by watching Wild Kratts episodes with our kids since we've been back 
Enjoy our photos of these extraordinary creatures (and more photos coming soon)! If you want to learn more, here's a starting point https://www.awf.org/wildlife-conservation/zebra
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