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List of Animals With Stripes (16 Examples With Pictures)

two animals with stripes standing in the wild

List of Animals With Stripes (16 Examples With Pictures)

Animals domesticated and in the wild have various physical features. One of those unique features is striped bodies. Stripes are used to identify the animals, just like how humans have fingerprints and skin colors.

Besides, animals with stripes have these characteristics as a way to survive, especially in the wild, since they can blend with their surroundings.

Other than protecting them from predators, some stripes warn that they would get harmed if they get too close. Animals that have warning stripes include wasps and even some types of spiders. Because of this, they can avoid having to protect themselves from their hunters.

The following is the list of a wide range of animals with stripes:

  • Tiger
  • Zebra
  • Okapi
  • Striped Skunk
  • Striped Chipmunk
  • Zorse
  • Bongo
  • Ring-Tailed Lemur
  • Thirteen-Lined Squirrel
  • Greater Kudu
  • Striped Mouse
  • Giant-Striped Mongoose
  • Ferret
  • African Wild Ass
  • Striped Hyena
  • Coral Snake

Animals With Stripes

Tiger

beautiful tiger walking in the wild

Scientific Name – Panthera tigris
Type of Animal – Mammal
Diet – Carnivore

This top predator lives in various habitats of Europe and Asia. The Siberian Tiger, located in Europe, is the biggest cat of them all. It is known for its uniquely striking stripes, which help it blend into the darkness of forests where it lives when hunting.

Because of their special coat with stripes, tigers are in danger of extinction since they are hunted for their fur. Another reason they are endangered is that their habitat is diminishing and causes constant conflict with humans.

Tigers have a brown and white coat with black stripes that run vertically on their bodies. Just like fingerprints in humans, each tiger has a unique pattern of lines, but they all serve the same purpose of keeping them hidden.

While only the fur can be seen as striped, it is known that their skin also has stripes like the ones on their coat.

Zebra

black and white striped zebra

Scientific Name – Equus zebra
Type of Animal – Mammal
Diet – Herbivore

These widely recognized striped animals are found in East, North, and Southern Africa. Zebras are herbivorous, so they feed on grasses and shrubs, which is why they are primarily found in the savannah.

They have a white coat with beautiful black stripes from their head to tail. The lines on their bodies are connected, while those found on their ears, tail, and legs are separate.

Each zebra has a unique pattern of stripes that can identify them. While in many animals, lines help them camouflage, the zebra stripes make them stand out, especially against the brown savannah.

Stripes on zebras serve to reflect sunlight off their bodies to keep them cooler and prevent horse flies from biting them.

Okapi

striped okapi grazing

Scientific Name – Okapia johnstoni
Type of Animal – Mammal
Diet – Herbivore

It is also known as the forest giraffe, zebra giraffe, and Congolese giraffe. Okapi is primarily found in central Africa.

The okapi has similar features to the giraffe, except it is not as tall, and instead of those beautiful patches, it has stripes. The lines on the okapi are white, so they contrast their dark bodies. They have stripes mostly on their legs, both the back and front.

Unlike their cousin, the giraffe, okapi lives in the tropical rainforest of the Congo. Their fur can be dark, reddish-brown, dark purple, and oily. This helps them repel water and keeps them dry.

While they only have stripes on their legs, it helps them hide from predators. It allows them to stand in the partial sunlight of the forest without being seen. The lines also help young okapi to follow its mother in the dark forest.

Striped Skunk

black and white striped skunk

Scientific Name – Mephitis mephitis
Type of Animal – Mammal
Diet – Omnivore

They are found in Central and Southern Canada, North America, and Mexico. The striped skunk has black fur and a stripe that starts as one on their head and diverges to two parallel lines that run over their bodies to their tail.

Their tails are different from their bodies since they are a mix of black and white fur. Just like in most animals, their stripes are unique in each animal.

It is about the same size as a domesticated cat and has a small triangular-shaped head and small ears. The legs are tiny and have webbed toes that are clawed, which come in handy when they are digging for food.

Because of their little legs, a skunk isn’t good at running from predators, and their appearance doesn’t help much with hiding. Their primary defense is spraying their aggressor since the fluid can sting their eyes.

Striped Chipmunk

striped chipmunk climing

Scientific Name – Ictidomys tridecemlineatus
Type of Animal – Mammal
Diet – Omnivore

Of all the striped rodents, the chipmunks are the most popular. They belong to the squirrel family and are primarily found in North America. They have red-gray fur with black stripes on their backs.

They are pretty small, measuring between 7 and 10 inches long, and prefer living in forests or places with shrubs. Striped chipmunks also like living in rocky areas, which protects them from predators such as birds.

These creatures love trees mainly because they offer them food such as nuts and fruits and are an excellent place for hiding their foraged food. Just like squirrels, chipmunks also fill up their cheeks with food so they can carry more and hide it.

Their color and stripes allow them to blend into their surrounding. They also forage leaves and hide in them when there is danger lurking.

Read Also: Animals With Biggest Ears

Zorse

zonkey with black and white stripes on its legs

Scientific Name – Equus zebra x Equus caballus
Type of Animal – Mammal
Diet – Herbivore

A zorse comes about when a zebra male and a horse female mate. They are also called zebroid, zebrule, zebrose, and more commonly, zebra mule. It is found in the woodland and grassland of Africa.

They usually have a very light body; they can range from a golden brown to off-white and have dark stripes similar to those of a zebra. However, its coat is significantly shorter than that of both parents.

One of the reasons the zorse is quite remarkable is because it is a very hardy animal. Due to the cross mating, it is resistant to most diseases and pests that affect zebra, horses, and donkeys. It often has the mother’s temperament (horse) and inherits its strength too.

Zorse is hardly found alone in the wild due to the unlikelihood of the parents to mate without human interference. Therefore, they are primarily domesticated, and due to their strength, they are helpful around the home.

Bongo

brown bongo with white stripes

Scientific Name – Tragelaphus eurycerus
Type of Animal – Mammal
Diet – Herbivore

There are two species, namely the lowland and mountain bongo. They belong to the antelope family and are ranked the third-largest antelope.

This animal has around 15 stripes that go vertically on their bodies and hardly on its legs. They usually have a chestnut or brown coat, and the stripes are white with a dark color on their belly and legs.

Both males and females have smooth and spiral horns, although the females are thinner and straighter than the male. Male bongos are quite large and can weigh over 800 pounds. They are found in West and Central Africa forests, where they can camouflage and hide from predators.

Their stripes reflect against the light, breaking it up, hiding the bongo in plain sight. Bongos are found in small herds, and they solely depend on grass, bushes, and shrubs for their food.

Ring-Tailed Lemur

ting-tailed lemur sitting on a rope

Scientific Name – Lemur catta
Type of Animal – Mammal
Diet – Herbivore

These primates are only located in Madagascar and some of the surrounding islands. As their name suggests, ring-tailed lemurs have long tails with black and white rings. Like other primates, lemurs usually live in trees and use their hands and feet to move.

However, unlike other lemurs, the ring-tailed species spend a good amount of time on the ground. Here, they collect fruits and leaves, which form the more considerable bulk of their diet. They also feed on flowers, tree sap, and bark.

They live in troops which may accommodate between 6 and 30 lemurs. Both males and females form the group, but a dominant female usually rules overall. Ring-tailed lemurs are territorial and have pretty potent scent glands.

These striped primates use markings to communicate and as a weapon against other lemurs. When they want to mate, the males fight one another by marking the most, and the winner gets the female.

Related: Animals WIth Patterns

Thirteen-Lined Squirrel

Scientific Name – Ictidomys tridecemlineatus
Type of Animal – Mammal
Diet – Herbivore

Thirteen-lined squirrels are native to central North America and are known for having 13 black and white stripes on their backs. It is a relatively small squirrel that also goes by “thirteen liner.”

They have tiny ears with thin tails that are slightly bushy. While they are good at hiding and outrunning predators, 90% of their young ones are usually taken before the beginning of their first hibernation.

The thirteen-lined ground squirrel is significantly smaller than their cousin, the chipmunk. They weigh less than a pound and are between four and six inches tall.

Since they are ground squirrels, they live in tiny well dug-out holes and short grass with sandy, well-drained soil. They are picky about the ground since they need soil that is easy to dig to make their burrows.

Greater Kudu

greater kudu with big horns and ears

Scientific Name – Tragelaphus strepsiceros
Type of Animal – Mammal
Diet – Herbivore

These creatures belong to the antelope’s Bovidae family and are primarily found in Easters and Southern Africa. It has a brownish coat with up to 12 stripes running vertically on their bodies.

Because of this, it is easy for them to camouflage in the woodland and grasslands. They are also very alert animals, so they can hear predators approaching them.

The males are horned with two and a half twists measuring approximately one meter long. Their horns don’t come in until they are between 6 and 12 months.

Males are not aggressive, but it is normal for them to get into fights during mating when they lock horns until one of them quits or dies. They are hunted for their hide and meat, so they are considered a near-threatened state.

Striped Mouse

striped mouse standing on a rock

Scientific Name – Rhabdomys
Type of Animal – Mammal
Diet – Omnivore

Speaking of animals with stripes, striped mice are a must mention. There are a few species of mice that have stripes that help them remain hidden on the ground where they reside.

This species is mostly found in Northern Africa in the deserts. They are pretty small, will only reach approximately five inches long, and are sometimes domesticated. The striped mouse usually has a brown body with dark stripes running along its body.

These tiny mammals eat insects, seeds, nuts, and other plant material food. However, they are not picky eaters, and their food intake varies seasonally.

Giant-Striped Mongoose

striped mongoose standing on hind legs

Scientific Name – Galidictis grandidieri
Type of Animal – Mammal
Diet – Carnivore

It is also known as a Grandidier’s mongoose, found in some parts of Madagascar. They have a brownish-gray coat with about eight dark stripes running across its body and a bushy tail.

It may also have horizontal white stripes alternating with the black ones. The giant-striped mongoose is related to the broad-striped Malagasy mongoose, however, their lines are thinner.

It mainly feeds on insects such as the giant hissing cockroach. It, however, has strong teeth that help in killing and eating small rodents and lizards.

This creature is a nocturnal animal, so it hunts at night; it is mostly found in holes during the day. They like moving from one place to another, which is why they are found in different spots every day.

Ferret

small striped ferret in a snowy field

Scientific Name – Mustela putorius furo
Type of Animal – Mammal
Diet – Carnivore

Ferrets are small, skinny animals spread across North America, Asia, and Europe. They usually have brown or black stripes along their back, and/or their heads.

These tiny mammals became quite popular pets in recent years. In the wild, they spend most of their time underground, in burrows, where they live. Ferrets are nocturnal creatures that evolved to hunt and live during the night.

Despite being lightweight, these short-legged Mustelids are surprisingly good hunters. Their diet is usually based on small animals, such as fish, mice, rats, and prairie dogs.

African Wild Ass

Scientific Name – Equus africanus
Type of Animal – Mammal
Diet – Herbivore

The African wild ass, a close relative of the African donkey, is found in Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia. It looks just like the average donkey.

However, it has a light brown coat but with horizontal stripes on its legs. This animal also has a strip of black fur around its neck and shoulder.

This species is found in the deserts, where it is hilly and stony. It specifically avoids sand dunes since walking on them is difficult and reaching watering holes is harder. Yet, it can live with a water loss of 30% of its total weight and only needs a five-minute drink to restore the water lost.

They are grazers, so they feed on the grasses available, but they also have adapted to eating herbs and shrubs.

Striped Hyena

brown and black spotted hyena

Scientific Name – Crocuta crocuta
Type of Animal – Mammal
Diet – Carnivore

Hyenas are known for having plain coats or spots, but there is a different breed that has stripes. They are located in East and North Africa and parts of Asia.

Striped hyenas have a dirty grey coat with black lines that run vertically on their bodies. It usually has thicker fur, which keeps them warm during the cold months, and sheds it when hot.

Physically the striped hyena looks just like the spotted species. They have longer front legs than the hind ones and have a long mane from the neck to their tail which helps them to look more dangerous.

Striped hyenas are somewhat shy, so the stripes serve them well to camouflage their bodies in the tall grass. Also, they are nocturnal scavengers and poor hunters, so they come out at night to find food.

Coral Snake

red snake with black and white stripes

Scientific Name – Micrurus lemniscatus
Type of Animal – Reptile
Diet – Carnivore

The last members on our list of animals with stripes are coral snakes. Coral snakes are medium bright-colored reptiles found in the United States. They are highly venomous snakes, and their colored stripes serve as a warning sign to potential predators.

These snakes do not grow more than 4 feet, and despite their high toxicity, are not usually aggressive. They can be found in marshy, wooded, and sandy habitats; however, they spend most of their time burrowed underground.

Coral snakes are meat-eaters, and they typically hunt lizards, most commonly skinks. However, these reptiles are also known to be cannibalistic, feeding on other snakes.

Conclusion

Besides being beautiful marks, stripes on animals have immense importance in their everyday survival. The use of stripes has a different purpose for predators and prey, however, the goal remains the same – survival.

There are many more animals with stripes, such as the clownfish, giant eland, garter snake, four-stripe damselfish, bumbles that use their lines to survive. However, the above animals are some of the most common ones found all over the world.

And that’s about it. Thank you for reading. We hope you have learned something new today about these unique creatures of nature.

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