Do zebras have stripes for camouflage? What do you think? Are the stripes really for camouflage? I think not. Unless the savannas of Africa are black and white, a zebra’s famous color scheme isn’t going to do much in terms of escaping its predator’s eyes. So why did zebras evolve to have the stripes? There must have been a benefit, right? Turns out the stripes help protect the zebras from flies — these flying pests have a hard time landing because of the striped surface.