You could become like a porcupine, a beast so spiky that, although he never attacks anyone, he can make life very uncomfortable for anyone who attacks him. If attacked, he pulls his head down and his legs in and curls up so that the attacker faces a ball covered in spikes. A lion wont bite that. A leopard wont pat it; even a rhinoceros wont stamp on it. Theyd all get badly hurt. I did once drive over a porcupine; every day for the next fortnight I had to repair another puncture as another spike worked its way through the tyre casing.
So nobody wants to mess with Mr. Porcupine. He prefers to mind his own business, but if you try to interfere with it, youll learn a lesson you wont forget. The only trouble is that its almost as difficult to be his friend as to be his enemy.
But some of us prefer to be like porcupines. We can defend ourselves, but we do it by putting up such forbidding defences that nobody wants to get close to us. There must be other ways of dealing with the problem.
The zebra has a different answer. S/he has three tactics: (1) hide, (2) run and (3) co-operate.
We all know about number one: that is why the zebra is striped. It really is difficult to see even if it stands near you in long dry grass.
If that doesnt work, the zebra uses tactic number two. They are good runners and can escape from a lot of trouble, but a lone zebra chased by a pride of lions is likely to lose the race, and in that case, the loser becomes the lions dinner. So the third tactic is important.
The zebra has thicker stripes in front than behind. If he needs to watch for enemies, it is important that his face and front are well camouflaged, and so they are. On the other hand, co-operating with other zebras is easier if his backside is more visible, and so it is.
If a herd of zebras are quietly grazing when a lion comes near, they run, but for safety they try to keep together so they can defend each other. If a young or confused zebra is slow to run or starts in the wrong direction, he will look for the herd. If he sees the nice visible rear ends of his herd as they run away, he knows to follow them – and quick.
Those rear ends help at night, too. Zebras sleep standing in a circle, with their heads towards the centre. Even without good moonlight, any zebra unlucky enough to be left on his own after dark can see the herds laager and squeeze in.
Hes welcome, but a lion isnt. He may see them, but however he approaches, he risks a kick that could break his jaw. A lion with a broken jaw doesnt live very long, so he looks for easier meat.
Post published in: Opinions