Logo A Moment of Science® 
Section 
 
 
O n this Moment of Science Don has another get-rich-quick scheme that doesn't pan out.  

Don: [WHISTLING]

Yaël: You sure sound happy today, Don.

D: That's because I've come up with a scheme that's going to make me filthy rich.

Y: So let's hear it.

D: Zebras!

Y: Zebras?

D: Yes, Zebras! Think about it. There are all these zebras on the African plains, just      running around and wasting their time. People like to ride horses, right? So why not      Zebras?

Y: You're going to domesticate zebras.

D: You got it. And since we're buddies, I'll even let you in on the deal. For a small      investment, of course.

Y: Thanks Don, but no thanks. After all, domesticating zebras is nothing new.

D: It's not?

Y: No. In fact, people have been trying to domesticate zebras for about a hundred      years.

D: So the zebra market has already been cornered.

Y: Not exactly. There is no zebra market, because zebras can't be domesticated.

D: Why not? Aren't they pretty much horses with stripes?

Y: No. Compared to horses, zebras are pretty unpredictable. They can be very      aggressive and even vicious as they get older. Plus, their body shape doesn't take a      saddle very well. Trying to train and ride a zebra is pretty dangerous.

D: So it's impossible?

Y: Not impossible. Over the years some zebras have been successfully trained, but as a      group they just don't lend themselves to domestication. Some animal trainers and      breeders have created zebra hybrids, such as the "zorse," a cross between a zebra      and a horse, and the "zonkey", which is what you get when you cross a zebra and a      donkey.

D: That sounds slightly creepy.

Y: Yeah. So far there's no specific purpose to creating zebra hybrids; they're not      stronger or more useful than regular horses and donkeys.

D: So maybe we should just leave the zebras alone.

Y: They'd probably appreciate it.  

To hear this program click here

A Moment of Science® 

 
 
 
Last updated: 1 November 2004
URL: http://amos.indiana.edu/library/scripts/zebra.html
Writer: Jeremy Shere
Comments: amos [at] indiana.edu
Copyright 2004, The Trustees of Indiana University
Design by HomeMadeMedia