What’s in a name?

The folks at Greater Vancouver Zoo think there’s plenty. And so, apparently, did the 125 people who helped name their baby zebra.

After more than two weeks of sifting through suggestions offered through a link on the zoo’s facebook page, they chose Kito, which means “jewel or precious child.”

The young male zebra is growing quickly.

Zebra mothers keep their foals separate from the herd for a period long enough for the youngster to imprint its mother’s stripes (which are unique to her), smell, and call.

Some interesting details about zebra’s stripes are provided by zoo staff: the stripes, for instance, are a type of camouflage called “disruptive colouration,” in which the goal is to confuse predators. Not only do the stripes make it difficult to tell individuals apart, but when a herd runs away, all of the stripes appear to go in all different directions, and that can cause a split-second hesitation on the part of a predator – giving the zebras a chance for escape.

Zebras’ predators see in shades of black, white, and grey.