Stripey Animals Why do animals have stripes? For vegetarian animals it's camoflage in dense undergrowth or, in the case of a zebra, if they all stand in a group, it makes their enemies go a little cross-eyed and not be able to pick out one from the other. For carnivores it can be for display, or simply a warning that they're extremely poisonous. Or they're a domesicated breed, that have had the stripes bred into them so they look pretty for us!!