Why Don't Humans Ride Zebras?

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 พ.ค. 2024
  • Zebras and horses are very similar - so why do we only ride one but not the other? Join Michael Aranda and learn about the history of horseback riding and why it did NOT translate to zebras in this new episode of SciShow!
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    Sources:
    www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2...
    www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
    www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
    www.galton.org/essays/1860-186...
    www.academia.edu/3374116/Early...
    www.sciencedirect.com/science...
    blogs.ucdavis.edu/egghead/2016...
    fubini.swarthmore.edu/~ENVS2/S...
    thomsonsafaris.com/blog/tamin...
    www.sciencealert.com/this-is-...
    slate.com/human-interest/2013...
    www.livescience.com/33870-dom...
    www.pbs.org/gunsgermssteel/var...
    www.reuters.com/article/us-ho...
    discovermagazine.com/2002/mar/...
    www.jstor.org/stable/2569316?...
    Images:
    www.istockphoto.com/photo/you...
    www.istockphoto.com/photo/whi...
    commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
    www.istockphoto.com/photo/nat...
    www.istockphoto.com/vector/wo...
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    www.istockphoto.com/vector/se...
    www.istockphoto.com/vector/af...
    www.istockphoto.com/vector/ro...
    www.istockphoto.com/vector/fu...
    upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...
    www.istockphoto.com/photo/lio...
    www.istockphoto.com/photo/kic...
    www.istockphoto.com/photo/odd...
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    www.istockphoto.com/photo/jee...
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    www.videoblocks.com/video/spa...

ความคิดเห็น • 916

  • @CoughE
    @CoughE 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1395

    _Zebras are just horse tigers_

    • @mho...
      @mho... 5 ปีที่แล้ว +30

      thats such an disgusting insult to tigers!

    • @pigeonfowl474
      @pigeonfowl474 5 ปีที่แล้ว +56

      Giraffes are just camel leopards.

    • @refindoazhar1507
      @refindoazhar1507 5 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      @@pigeonfowl474 isn't their species name literally translate to camel-leopard?

    • @monkeysue61
      @monkeysue61 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I'm stealing this .. with love ...jk i credited you

    • @WickedPhase
      @WickedPhase 5 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      delet this 🔫

  • @jasonakers6538
    @jasonakers6538 5 ปีที่แล้ว +172

    "Why do we ride horses but not zebras?"
    Zookeepers: *PTSD intensifies...*

  • @sebastianelytron8450
    @sebastianelytron8450 5 ปีที่แล้ว +516

    Because the barcode would be hard to find when buying and selling zebras

    • @thominaduncanson8003
      @thominaduncanson8003 5 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      😆😆😆🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂 Very true!

    • @TheRogueWolf
      @TheRogueWolf 5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Okay, you get a thumbs up from me.

    • @Superbug-tf8zy
      @Superbug-tf8zy 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      i hate this, i hate you for this joke, but man, is it funny

    • @chitsb
      @chitsb 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Hahahahahhaahahah

    • @davidsilverfield835
      @davidsilverfield835 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Lol

  • @Nobody_Special310
    @Nobody_Special310 5 ปีที่แล้ว +337

    Has anyone tried saying "please"?

    • @massimookissed1023
      @massimookissed1023 5 ปีที่แล้ว +26

      Probably.
      Shortly before being kicked in the head.

    • @sophiaruizuvalle2523
      @sophiaruizuvalle2523 5 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Yes, they're bastards, it doesn't work

    • @alfredgomez3128
      @alfredgomez3128 5 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Has anyone taken no for an answer?

    • @palebluedot7435
      @palebluedot7435 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@alfredgomez3128 yes... And im alive

    • @jesuschristusnumberonefan
      @jesuschristusnumberonefan 5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      jup
      google: "man riding zebra" and youll find some people that did

  • @DavidChipman
    @DavidChipman 5 ปีที่แล้ว +651

    "Because zebras are bastards"-CGP Gray

    • @ducktectivewhitewings9276
      @ducktectivewhitewings9276 5 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Damn you beat me to it, just posted a very similar comment

    • @nolanwestrich2602
      @nolanwestrich2602 5 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      I was thinking about that video.

    • @cloudkitt
      @cloudkitt 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Beat me to it

    • @damien4197
      @damien4197 5 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Man, I was doing other things and missed this video until now or I'd have (future prediction) hundreds of likes on a comment... "I" would be top chicken!

    • @sophiaruizuvalle2523
      @sophiaruizuvalle2523 5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      My mind went straight to that

  • @KnightSlasher
    @KnightSlasher 5 ปีที่แล้ว +342

    _You wanna know how I got these stripes_

    • @dontknowdontcare1934
      @dontknowdontcare1934 5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Yeah you wanna elaborate?

    • @mkmasterthreesixfive
      @mkmasterthreesixfive 5 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      *You don't wanna know how I got these stripes*

    • @manrightchea
      @manrightchea 5 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      I lived my entire life waiting for this moment. I trained, I lied, I killed just to get here. I killed in America, Afghanistan, IRAQ... I took life from my own brothers and sisters right here on this continent! And all this death just so I could kill you! - Eric Killzebra

    • @dontknowdontcare1934
      @dontknowdontcare1934 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@mkmasterthreesixfive I actually do.

    • @pedrosampaio7349
      @pedrosampaio7349 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      _I met a human_

  • @kyrab7914
    @kyrab7914 2 ปีที่แล้ว +31

    "Partly because we came to our senses, but mostly because we have jeeps now" 😂 I had a legit spittake, was not expecting that from Michael. Well done to him, Becki, and all the writers for that one

  • @KeeliaSilvis
    @KeeliaSilvis 5 ปีที่แล้ว +234

    Woah, those Victorian carriage zebras!! I'd never heard of that, and the visual is wild!

    • @richardbidinger2577
      @richardbidinger2577 5 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      Yeah, that one kind of blew my mind. Imagine if we had managed to tame them. The Kentucky Derby might look a little different then it does now.

    • @palebluedot7435
      @palebluedot7435 5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@richardbidinger2577 we can tame them with todays technology

    • @DarthMizinth
      @DarthMizinth 5 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      It makes me wonder what it'd be like to have Ostriches or Kangaroos pulling a carriage. Probably not a good idea

    • @davewilson7092
      @davewilson7092 5 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      It would take generations of selective breeding, but you could make a zebra that would be a decent draft animal. I'm sure the Auroch we got the moo-moo cow from didn't become a Holstein cow overnight, or even in a century. Likewise, the wild asses we got the donkey from didn't become donkeys quickly and the wild horses no doubt took many generations. Even then, you'd basically have a striped donkey, not a war horse.
      Individual specimens of zebras were relatively easy to tame. Someone would have to apply the same techniques as the famous fox experiments in Siberia and for as many generations. (I think they are at over 50 generations now.)

    • @kelly2fly
      @kelly2fly 5 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Luci Faery ostriches are possible but kangeroos--forget it, dude. That sure as heck will be the bumpiest, whiplash-induced ride you'll ever be on.

  • @claireadams8159
    @claireadams8159 5 ปีที่แล้ว +43

    I'm sad they didn't mention Racing Strips. A zebra racing Thoroughbred horses.. Now that I think about it, it's a hilarious concept for a movie

    • @helenetrstrup4817
      @helenetrstrup4817 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      It is a funny concept, but I did enjoy that movie when it came out 🤣

    • @heavyrain5949
      @heavyrain5949 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I love that movie, as they're my favorite animal.

    • @kylestanley7843
      @kylestanley7843 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      It was a very good movie.

  • @matteussilvestre8583
    @matteussilvestre8583 5 ปีที่แล้ว +181

    "We're top chicken!"
    - CGP Grey

    • @NighteeeeeY
      @NighteeeeeY 5 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      i was really hoping someone would say this.

  • @anonymousbub3410
    @anonymousbub3410 5 ปีที่แล้ว +256

    SciShow teaches me so much I love them!!

    • @TommoCarroll
      @TommoCarroll 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Anonymous bub AWH yeah! Get that learning on!

  • @Richie_Godsil
    @Richie_Godsil 5 ปีที่แล้ว +60

    "Because Zebras are bastards"
    CGP Grey

  • @andrewduke1304
    @andrewduke1304 5 ปีที่แล้ว +32

    "Their evolutionary History has made them plain nasty" i laughed so hard about that🤣

  • @MercyTN581
    @MercyTN581 5 ปีที่แล้ว +150

    Because CGP Grey said so

    • @itsonlyafleshwound9024
      @itsonlyafleshwound9024 5 ปีที่แล้ว +21

      Because Zebras are bastards

    • @weldonspivey5708
      @weldonspivey5708 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      Who is this bloke? Never heard of him.

    • @magnuspeacock5857
      @magnuspeacock5857 5 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      @@weldonspivey5708 Go to CGP Grey's channel *now* please.

    • @BoostedMonkey05
      @BoostedMonkey05 5 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @Krok Krok he's always open for debate you silly moo. And just because you don't agree with everything a person says doesn't mean he's a pseudo intellectual. It's like calling Bill Nye a pseudo intellectual because he doesn't believe the earth is flat.

    • @doctaflo
      @doctaflo 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      Jonathan Dee , don't bite; pretty sure he's trolling you

  • @helenetrstrup4817
    @helenetrstrup4817 5 ปีที่แล้ว +271

    If American zookerpers are hurt the most by zebras, then hire one that isn't American 😇

    • @shatnermohanty6678
      @shatnermohanty6678 5 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Helene Trøstrup 🤣🤣🤣
      good one
      👍👍

    • @scottmantooth8785
      @scottmantooth8785 5 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      dua... or maybe the zebras just need anger management classes or really strong sedatives

    • @furatceylan8
      @furatceylan8 5 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@scottmantooth8785 or the fking zookeepers ought not go into the zebra hatch when there is a pissed off zebra in there ... in other words, if you don´t wanna get stung, don´t swat at wasps

    • @gunfighterdrummer
      @gunfighterdrummer 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Drums: da da spshhhhh!

    • @frank124c
      @frank124c 5 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      You are a natural born lawyer.

  • @jamelievilleneuve245
    @jamelievilleneuve245 5 ปีที่แล้ว +113

    Ya'll telling me the movie Racing Stripes is a lie :(

    • @19DannyBoy65
      @19DannyBoy65 5 ปีที่แล้ว +19

      No, that documentary was just an incredible exception.

    • @sinklar7946
      @sinklar7946 5 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Yeah he even said that there were individual cases of zebra taming back then anyway.

    • @jamelievilleneuve245
      @jamelievilleneuve245 5 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      @@sinklar7946 my comment was a joke. The movie is about a talking zebra who's dream is to race like horses

    • @Tayl0r_
      @Tayl0r_ 5 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      I LOVE THAT MOVIEEE

    • @maxthompson9113
      @maxthompson9113 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      I haven't thought about that movie in years and now I want to watch it ASAP

  • @HTPCYMC
    @HTPCYMC 5 ปีที่แล้ว +260

    The Zorse is my spirit animal.

  • @emmanuelsanchez9303
    @emmanuelsanchez9303 5 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    I'm happy to see Michael hosting again. I had not seen him in a while and I thought he was no longer at Scishow

  • @johnathanarcher6999
    @johnathanarcher6999 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    This is one of the funniest videos you guys have put out. I loved all the special animations it made it so fun to watch!

  • @crystalbell1598
    @crystalbell1598 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    I love this channel! Thank you so much Sci Show.

  • @randallpcrittenden
    @randallpcrittenden 5 ปีที่แล้ว +49

    Why have I never heard of Zorses before?! I must now search for adorable images of them!

    • @sinenomine8101
      @sinenomine8101 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      They have some at Chester zoo!

    • @nidohime6233
      @nidohime6233 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      There are zebroids (half donkey/half zebra) too.

    • @colinp2238
      @colinp2238 5 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@nidohime6233 Wouldn't that be a zonkey?

    • @nidohime6233
      @nidohime6233 5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@colinp2238 I heard there are called zebroids, but I guess its depends of the parents, like how liger are called like that if the father's cub is a lion while the mother is a tigress, and if its backwards is called a tigon.

    • @wewemcrhyne
      @wewemcrhyne 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      I saw one at a zoo in Kentucky and it was as mean as a zebra.

  • @SpektralJo
    @SpektralJo 5 ปีที่แล้ว +26

    Because of the great war between Ponies and Zebras which resulted in Equestria becoming a wasteland...

    • @melvinshine9841
      @melvinshine9841 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Not gonna lie, I'd be interested in that story.

    • @sophiaruizuvalle2523
      @sophiaruizuvalle2523 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I thought that the My Little Pony was manifesting itself for a second there

  • @Sara-ti7he
    @Sara-ti7he 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    This video is why I subscribed to your channel. So informative, interesting and funny!

  • @DistortedBird
    @DistortedBird 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    There are so many things that I did not know in this video, even though I thought I knew a decent amount about zebras. Good job!

  • @TheRealFlenuan
    @TheRealFlenuan 5 ปีที่แล้ว +80

    Lmao all the comments are just referencing CGP Grey

  • @ccluci8848
    @ccluci8848 5 ปีที่แล้ว +24

    I didn’t know a animal was made after a zebra crossing

  • @Warrentheo
    @Warrentheo 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    First Ad that I am actually considering in a long while, good job👍

  • @selinamason8119
    @selinamason8119 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    It's an interesting topic I've never thought about it. Thanks Scishow!

  • @victor9
    @victor9 5 ปีที่แล้ว +18

    As an African I Remeber always pondering this question and nobody really seem to have an answer but explain in examples. You can have a dog but not a wild dog, a goat not a bush buck, a cow not a Buffalo (at list not the part I'm from). Good to have a good cietific explanation. Cgp grey has a similar explanation

    • @pabliskimitador
      @pabliskimitador 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      People in other parts of the world have buffalos like cows

  • @LacyJacy
    @LacyJacy 5 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    YES IVE MISSED YOU IN THE EPISODES !!

    • @reneestewart2518
      @reneestewart2518 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      Leave the horses alone you know do you want to get kicked or do you want to live

  • @Persiancouplelife
    @Persiancouplelife 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    I’m glad you guys have slowed down your speech. I’m glad I decided to give your clip a chance again. It is extremely frustrating to try to focus on a speech with no breaks that is fast and full of info.

  • @urishima
    @urishima 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    The first image with the zebra jumping with the guy on it's back is perfect. Both the Zebra's and the guy's expression say 'This has all gone horribly wrong!'.
    It may be the low resolution of the old picture, but it really looks like his eyes are wide open in panic.

  • @duomaxwell2293
    @duomaxwell2293 5 ปีที่แล้ว +16

    This makes me want to watch "Racing Stripes" again, it's a 2005 movie about a horse trainer training a zebra for the Kentucky open..

  • @kwek2243
    @kwek2243 5 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    dear scishow, I wish you cover the Philippine Eagle too because its very underrated and people should know that this rare specie does exist=)

  • @mysteepulcine2510
    @mysteepulcine2510 5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I met a tame zebra when I was in Zambia. We were having our afternoon tea outside and he walked right up and licked the jam off my toast. The owner of the house said his name was frederick, and he basically tamed himself and even came inside sometimes.

  • @TrytheGreenOne
    @TrytheGreenOne 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    you're my favorite sci-show speaker

  • @Taikamuna
    @Taikamuna 5 ปีที่แล้ว +146

    Because we dont have zebras over here

    • @the5thaxiom807
      @the5thaxiom807 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      Hey, you're that domino guy.

    • @joesjunkyard935
      @joesjunkyard935 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      Quit going in the comment section of every video

    • @zairicullen
      @zairicullen 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      Totally can relate 😂

    • @myrinsk
      @myrinsk 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Your verified

  • @ahtyngtyng
    @ahtyngtyng 5 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    “we have jeeps now”

  • @HeatherRuffin
    @HeatherRuffin 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    This was wonderful

  • @919ben919
    @919ben919 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    ive rode zorses before. my friend boyd has ten. my favorite is half clidsdale. what a beast to behold!

  • @tfsheahan2265
    @tfsheahan2265 5 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Consider the Russian experiment with wild foxes to be bred for pelts. When they separated the deciles from the aggrieves, and bred them to each other, they found that the deciles started looking and acting more like dogs, floppy ears and all. Is it possible we could do the same with zebras?

    • @drewbydoo8945
      @drewbydoo8945 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Theoretically, I feel like we could do that with any animal if given enough time and resources.

  • @EASJR1991
    @EASJR1991 5 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    There's an experiment that's been going on since the 1970s we're Russia scientist domesticated foxes by determining which foxes where are the least aggressive towards human and then choosing those foxes to breed. Would it be possible to determine which zebras are the least tame and then breed those in order to domesticate them? I'm sure the ethics of that is a completely different question.

    • @jpe1
      @jpe1 5 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Ellis Sutton the point of the video was that zebras are not suitable for domesticating, the Victorians didn’t fail because they don’t know animal husbandry (they were experts, just look at all the dog, cat, rabbit, pigeon, pig, sheep, etc breeds that came out back then) they failed because zebras can’t be domesticated. Sure, with CRISPR and trans-genetic engineering we could perhaps create a zebra-like animal that is domesticated, but no ordinary amount of selective breeding will create a domesticated zebra. The foxes that Soviet researcher Dmitry Belyayev started an experiment to domesticate back in 1959 were a sort-of success because foxes exhibit several traits that make them amenable to domestication, and even then the success was mixed. Today the offspring are appropriately tame (almost dog-like in their behavior) but they (mostly) don’t look like foxes anymore, instead look more like dogs.

    • @shatnermohanty6678
      @shatnermohanty6678 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      Ellis Sutton you know
      I was about to make the same point about the Soviet fox experiment.
      the dog is a product of human selected breeding.
      I was surprised when I learnt how the Russians succeeded with the fox,an animal which is not a very social creature in the wild (a point generally cited as to why dogs became pets ; because it sees it's owners as members of it's pack)
      the fox has been generally seen as an animal so smart it will outwit any other creature. in a Russian book by Olga Perovskaya translated to English as "Kids and Cubs" , the author mentions that she as a child had a pet fox who couldn't keep still for a moment, and always on the lookout for mischief, so much so they had to give it away to a mini zoo at their school.
      If such an animal can be made docile by the Russian project then
      a zebra domestication experiment on similar lines is definitely worth pursuing

    • @violet-trash
      @violet-trash 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Yes, but horses took thousands of years to become what they are today, why try that again when we already have horses? It's far more efficient to accept that a few horses are going to get sick.

    • @palebluedot7435
      @palebluedot7435 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@violet-trash no all will horses get sick
      And your cows
      Ask any force invading africa pre 1700 lol romans came over with horses once ..... Settled in a nice place by the water lmao

    • @violet-trash
      @violet-trash 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@palebluedot7435
      Are you saying there are no domestic horses in Africa?

  • @BryanWicks
    @BryanWicks 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    I love Zebra. They are easily one of my all time favorite bands! :D
    All kidding aside (but seriously, I do love the band), the topic of humans being unable to tame and ride zebras is really fascinating. Thanks for a great presentation of the subject, and kudos for *finally* giving me a compelling reason to check out Skillshare. I'll have more success taming my email than I would a zebra.

  • @VeralBoni
    @VeralBoni 5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Ain't gonna lie, that sponsorship transition was smooth!

  • @hoaithunguyen4473
    @hoaithunguyen4473 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    In Vietnamese, zebra literally means stripped horse

  • @xck
    @xck 5 ปีที่แล้ว +37

    I assumed they were just wild and untamed
    And didn’t want you

    • @dontknowdontcare1934
      @dontknowdontcare1934 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      Thats what your mom said

    • @armoredwings4182
      @armoredwings4182 5 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      That's the Hollywood bonding trope where people unrealistically train feral Mustangs with sugar cubes because "bond" ((*COUGH*flicka*COUGH*))
      Nope. Zebras just hate everything and horses are scared of everything. It's easier to get a horse to not be scared than it is to get a zebra to not hate.

  • @sallyphilpin1104
    @sallyphilpin1104 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    The zebra is the symbol for rare genetic conditions such as Ehlers Danlos syndrome. Many people with the condition have a tattoo of a zebra with the quote 'My joints are more sociable as they go out more than the rest of me'.

  • @cookiesnz
    @cookiesnz 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    Michael is looking so good!! Someone’s been bulking out 💪🏼🔥🔥🔥

  • @jkjoegunz
    @jkjoegunz 5 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I'm kind of surprised that you didn't bring up the social hierarchy of horses vs zebras, as that is arguably the biggest reason horses are generally more tameable than zebras. Or their whole ducking reflex.

  • @LeafseasonMagbag
    @LeafseasonMagbag 5 ปีที่แล้ว +18

    We just need to selectively breed them for a few thousand years.

    • @shatnermohanty6678
      @shatnermohanty6678 5 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Leafseason Magbag exactly
      all the domesticated animals we see around us have taken us hundreds (and in most cases thousands of years ) to reach this point.

    • @LeafseasonMagbag
      @LeafseasonMagbag 5 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@shatnermohanty6678 Or just give them a hundred years of genetic modification and have zebras that don't ever get tired, have tough lizard skin, clawed feet, and who can eat anything even vaguely organic.

    • @shatnermohanty6678
      @shatnermohanty6678 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      Leafseason Magbag 😁😁😁

    • @lif3andthings763
      @lif3andthings763 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      They dont have the same social structure as Horses do as well they wont see you as the leader of the heard because they dont have those.

    • @OtakuUnitedStudio
      @OtakuUnitedStudio 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@LeafseasonMagbag Selective breeding IS genetic modification.

  • @wealllovemerylstreep7037
    @wealllovemerylstreep7037 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    The streak is back 😍😍

  • @DefiningLiz
    @DefiningLiz 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    I have always wondered this!

  • @N1teLlte
    @N1teLlte 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Speaking of things getting the upper hand:
    Emus.

  • @AoyagiAichou
    @AoyagiAichou 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    That zebra frown animation is quite fitting, as well as amusing. As far as I know, unlike horses, zebras are individualistic and smart (also they're mean wankers).

  • @fabusquish.undercover
    @fabusquish.undercover 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    I always just want to hug Micheal
    He looks really huggable 😅

  • @Stevenewmansa
    @Stevenewmansa 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I was an extra in a movie called Racing Stripes, about a zebra being raced in a house race. So I've actually seen a person ride a zebra in real life. It was awkward AF and it threw her to the ground once as well.

  • @snowcat3116
    @snowcat3116 5 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I have never thought of a Jeep for a zebra replacement...

  • @alichi101
    @alichi101 5 ปีที่แล้ว +18

    All those arguments and only one rings true. 'Because we have jeeps now'
    Given that those victorian era folks managed to tame them enough to ride and pull carriages straight from the wild it is definitely possible. Its just... horses (and camels) got literally hundreds of generations of work behind them. Given the difficulty and costs involved it was simply cheaper to go with the jeep (horse).
    Concerning the weak back not suitable for riding? We spend literally thousands of years having horses pull chariots because they were too weak and small.
    As to why it wasn't domesticated way in the past? Probably a mix of the mentioned temper and just seeing it as another foodanimal to hunt. Thou dangerous kicks alone is definitely not the sole reason as to why our ancestors didn't domesticate it. We did domesticate the donkey (can kick forwards AND backwards!) and the ostrich (peck your eyes and disembowel you with it's talons!) after all.

    • @timperry6948
      @timperry6948 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Taming a single animal is not the same thing as domesticating an entire breed.

    • @alichi101
      @alichi101 5 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@timperry6948 And? If they can be reliable tamed then their disposition isn't as bad as some want to suggest. Those that then say that zebras are more nervous and panic more easily than horses again ignore that the horse has thousands of years of domestication behind it.
      Domestication is selective breeding. Even if those victorian era zebratamers had kept at it and tried to domesticate the zebras to this day, that would only be 200 years of work.
      The domesticated horse goes back well over 5000 years!
      Again, the only argument that rings true is 'Because we have jeeps now'. No one is going to put up the effort to domesticate the zebra since we already have the horse. It would be the work of several HUMAN generations to get a zebra anywhere close to modern horses in disposition and ability.
      Also, our ancestors didn't start keeping horses as a work animal but kept them as a food animal long before they got any work out of them. In other words, generations of work before even trying to do more than herd them.

    • @noviedeos
      @noviedeos 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      alichi101
      your ancestors spent thousands of years working with horses...
      and zebras evolved with humans for millions of years
      but yeah, those 5k years is what did it for the horses

    • @alichi101
      @alichi101 5 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@noviedeos ...yes? Those five thousand years is what did it for the horses.

    • @Konsistori
      @Konsistori 5 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@noviedeos Turns out 5000 years of actively domesticating an animal does more to domesticate an animal than one million years of not trying to domesticate an animal.

  • @gordonparisian4421
    @gordonparisian4421 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    Hello, I was wondering if you can make a video of OE.

  • @marcelfil
    @marcelfil 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    Man, your delivery is way up!

  • @CharlesTheClumsy
    @CharlesTheClumsy 5 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    CGP Grey also did an episode about this.
    Both videos are great!

  • @SciShow
    @SciShow  5 ปีที่แล้ว +46

    Skillshare is offering SciShow viewers two months of unlimited access to Skillshare for free! Try it here: skl.sh/scishow-13

    • @colinp2238
      @colinp2238 5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      If all your hosts use these apps as you claim there would be no time to make the videos.

    • @alichi101
      @alichi101 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      All those arguments and only one rings true. 'Because we have jeeps now'
      Given that those victorian era folks managed to tame them enough to ride and pull carriages straight from the wild it is definitely possible. Its just... horses (and camels) got literally hundreds of generations of work behind them. Given the difficulty and costs involved it was simply cheaper to go with the jeep (horse).
      Concerning the weak back not suitable for riding? We spend literally thousands of years having horses pull chariots because they were too weak and small.
      As to why it wasn't domesticated way in the past? Probably a mix of the mentioned temper and just seeing it as another foodanimal to hunt. Thou dangerous kicks alone is definitely not the sole reason as to why our ancestors didn't domesticate it. We did domesticate the donkey (can kick forwards AND backwards!) and the ostrich (peck your eyes and disembowel you with it's talons!) after all.

    • @Trondtravle
      @Trondtravle 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      th-cam.com/video/M98zPLJ2Ub0/w-d-xo.html

    • @MrPiquo
      @MrPiquo 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      I hope this is a quick question for you SciShow. If we possibly figured out a working equation for the theoretical physics equation the "Theory of Everything," where would you recommend I go to share that and have it tested?

    • @Panj0
      @Panj0 5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@MrPiquo If you have to ask that question , not to mention in a youtube comment, you almost certainly don't have a working equation lol.

  • @SlyPearTree
    @SlyPearTree 5 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I saw a documentary once about a young woman who had been abandoned in the jungle as a kid, she was named Sheena and looked just like Tanya Roberts, I'm quite sure she rode a zebra. I remember other documentaries with a guy called Tarzan who was also raised by wild beasts. Netflix currently have another documentaries about a boy called Mowgli to which the same thing happened. Maybe parents shouldn't bring their kids in the jungle.

    • @KarlBunker
      @KarlBunker 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      In Sheena (1984, starring Tanya Roberts and, ha-ha, probably not a documentary) they used a horse with stripes painted on it. They couldn't risk Ms Roberts getting her million-dollar ass kicked half way across Africa.

  • @demonbuddy1
    @demonbuddy1 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    Normally, I would just be yelling "That's not Hank!", but it was such a neat and well done story that I can't bag on the host. This time. :-)

  • @jessicap4998
    @jessicap4998 5 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    A SciShow episode on just *how bad* the training of a zebra goes would be very educational. Video clips of people getting told off by prey animals are great.

  • @sinistersweet5236
    @sinistersweet5236 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    As CGP Grey once said:
    "Because Zebra, are bastards."

  • @BHNative
    @BHNative 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I wonder if anyone has tried raising them with horses to see if there are any significant behavioral changes. I would imagine they would be at least a little tamer compared to the wild ones. Cool historical pictures in this episode as well! They might not be made for riding, but they definitely look cool when it works.

  • @rottweiler107able
    @rottweiler107able 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    Can you please do a video on metal foam

  • @sicemdawgs47
    @sicemdawgs47 5 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    Ok I see your point but I rode a zebra in red dead so.... How do you explain that?

  • @-4subscriberswithahammerad521
    @-4subscriberswithahammerad521 5 ปีที่แล้ว +24

    Because zebras were ticked that we kept trying to eat them

  • @mabob1913
    @mabob1913 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    If I recall correctly, zebras also have a ducking reflex that makes it almost impossible for them to be lassoed.

  • @solitairecatnaps4444
    @solitairecatnaps4444 ปีที่แล้ว

    Loved that movie!

  • @nonyabizz9390
    @nonyabizz9390 5 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    I find these reasons to be more excuses than anything else.
    Nothing is domesticated over night. If, over hundreds of years, Zebras were bred for both size and non-aggressiveness, you could have a domesticated Zebra you could ride.
    A domestic horse is not the same thing as the wild horse it originated from, after all. And even if horses had traits that made them easier to domesticate, that does not mean zebras could not be domesticated.
    We ride horses, and not zebra, because human culture devoted many multiple generations into breeding them taming them, and understanding them. A similar effort has simply never been applied to zebra.
    You may as well ask "why do we have pet wolves, but not pet foxes?"
    And the answer is simple. We don't. We have dogs, the result of hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of years of controlled breeding and domestication. Genetically, yes, all domestic dogs are from the gray wolf, but they are not gray wolves. Well, breeding experiments have shown that foxes can be bred into a domestic form. Admittedly, domestic foxes are not dogs, just as a domestic zebra would not be a horse, but it is a valid proof of concept, and shows that a fox can be domesticated over generations, which had not been thought possible before.
    The zebra, if bred for the right traits, over multiple generations, could be domesticated. The wild horse, and the wolf, had to undergo such changes. And the wild horse and the wolf were remarkably receptive to it. But the fox could be domesticated, and so could the zebra. There is nothing inherent and unchanging in their nature that prevents it.
    That is why we don't ride zebra.

    • @palebluedot7435
      @palebluedot7435 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      The question is why didnt afircans or boers do it
      Answer overallbits not cost effective
      Zimbabwe said would be to expensive and be very harsh since zebra evolved very strong genetic aggressions

    • @lyreparadox
      @lyreparadox 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I'd only modify by saying hundreds of generations rather than years. But basically, you're absolutely right.

    • @JcoleMc
      @JcoleMc ปีที่แล้ว

      @@palebluedot7435 Since when have we ever cared about morals on animals ?

    • @palebluedot7435
      @palebluedot7435 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@JcoleMc
      It’s very commons for natives before modern capitalism to treat animals morally when possible
      Most cultures give thanks to dying animals we eat

  • @ccluci8848
    @ccluci8848 5 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Why can’t we wake up those sleeping horses

  • @yoavsigler4457
    @yoavsigler4457 ปีที่แล้ว

    This is like the most specific skillshare ad I've ever seen

  • @ecoKady
    @ecoKady 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    Not sure who wrote this, but I laughed more than I have during SciShow in a long time. Kudos.

  • @darylbenson9682
    @darylbenson9682 5 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    We don't ride Zebras because we ride horses. We don't eat horses because we eat cows. We didn't domesticate Hyenas because we domesticated wolves. Rewind the clock and shuffle the deck, the reverse could be true for any.

    • @ZombieBarioth
      @ZombieBarioth 5 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Not quite. Historically horses have been eaten, as have dogs, but because they're considered companion animals and not just for food/utility it fell out of favor.
      Time and place have little to do with it either, we domesticated them because their natural traits proved useful. Wolves' circling behavior for example, which is used by shepards to herd livestock. Their particular social behavior made them easier to work with.

  • @dallasoch4040
    @dallasoch4040 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    What about raising them from babies tame to ride or pull? I wouldn't went to try it with a full grown adult!

  • @ProtoManiac2283
    @ProtoManiac2283 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    0:13
    You can't fool me! THAT'S A TIGER IN DISGUISE

  • @Dunkle0steus
    @Dunkle0steus 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    The first horse domestication about 4000-5000 years ago involved having horses pull carts to transport goods. Later, chariots would be used for cavalry in warfare. Horses were about the size of ponies then. Horseback riding didn't become popular until about 1000 BC (around 2000 years after horses had become a staple in armies and farms across Eurasia).

  • @kailen98
    @kailen98 5 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    CGP Gray already did this.

  • @robtk3
    @robtk3 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    "Humans and zebras have spent millions of years together..." Humans... millions of years...? Ummm, no.

    • @OtakuUnitedStudio
      @OtakuUnitedStudio 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Depends on your definition of human. Modern Homo sapiens? No. Other hominids? Yes.

    • @blondbraid7986
      @blondbraid7986 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@OtakuUnitedStudio Successfully hunting large animals is still pretty new for hominids, evolutionary speaking. Our closest relatives, chimps, and bonobos only rarely hunt, and when they do, it's always animals much smaller than themselves.

  • @CanaldoSora1
    @CanaldoSora1 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    Michael is so so so so cute, and I love his voice ❤️

  • @Sonicgott
    @Sonicgott 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    For some reason, I found this episode incredibly amusing.

  • @Bluestar12
    @Bluestar12 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Asking the real questions.

  • @thedude7319
    @thedude7319 5 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    Something something grey

    • @vedal1358
      @vedal1358 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      something something bastards

  • @ironcityblue
    @ironcityblue 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    I saw one at the zoo and it was super chill.

  • @jed_fox1
    @jed_fox1 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    Fooled me there for a second! It seemed like you got a new sponsor, but nope still Skillshare.

  • @jan_kisan
    @jan_kisan 5 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    so much based on post-knowledge and modernising. the horses of the past - were they as calm and big, "built for riding"? kinda like the domestic banana is "built for eating", as some claim)) the truth is, those horses we domesticated were also damn wild and aggressive, and they had also been hunted by predators a lot. not African predators, yeah, but how do we prove those predators caused less aggression in tarpans and przewalskiis?

    • @palebluedot7435
      @palebluedot7435 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Because they didnt evolve to avoid us and becuase every african predator is more sucessful the n its non african counterpart
      Prz horses even wild ones dont seem to have a genetic fear of humans and dont know we can throw things
      Zebras do they evolved some traits to avoid spears

  • @JustinY.
    @JustinY. 5 ปีที่แล้ว +74

    Zebras < War horses

    • @FocusMrbjarke
      @FocusMrbjarke 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      first reply to justin y comment

    • @-Teus-
      @-Teus- 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Is this like you job or something?

    • @dontknowdontcare1934
      @dontknowdontcare1934 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      This no joke wasnt funny

    • @kovoc7135
      @kovoc7135 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      I found you on a video about birds...

    • @willynebula6193
      @willynebula6193 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@archenema6792 lies! steps in front of 💰don't know what you're talking about.

  • @geostyma
    @geostyma 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    That is a excellent thumbnail

  • @gorkemvids4839
    @gorkemvids4839 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    This is actually inspirational. If you never give up. Others can't control you. No matter how strong they are. If you be like horses(or sheep) also be ready to be a servant.

    • @MybeautifulandamazingPrincess
      @MybeautifulandamazingPrincess ปีที่แล้ว

      It's better to be a horse and we'll taken care of, than be a zebra and get eaten alive by a croc or a lion

    • @gorkemvids4839
      @gorkemvids4839 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@MybeautifulandamazingPrincess if you think domesticated horses live better than wild zebras, you've no clue about the world we live in.

    • @MybeautifulandamazingPrincess
      @MybeautifulandamazingPrincess ปีที่แล้ว

      @@gorkemvids4839 Domestic horses and feral domestic horses (Equus ferus caballus) live much better than zebra's. I raise horses myself and all domestic horses I've seen in my life are very well taken care of, have a lot of affection from their owner's, have constant vet health care and have space to roam and exercise
      Being torn apart by one of the many hungry beasts lurking around in Africa isn't a very good indicator of quality of life

    • @gorkemvids4839
      @gorkemvids4839 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@MybeautifulandamazingPrincess The little sample size in your farm does not represent the whole picture. Worker horses all around the world live in absolute agony. Most of them endure constant whips, hunger, unhealthy diet, cold and captivity in short leashes.
      Btw zebras in nature is not under constant attack. Only sick, old and young gets eaten while adult zebra live 20 years happily in their herd while roaming great plains. That's a life much better than even your horse farm.

  • @ccluci8848
    @ccluci8848 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Because you can’t ride them because people will walk over you

  • @ducktectivewhitewings9276
    @ducktectivewhitewings9276 5 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    _because zebras are bastards_
    Grey, CGP 20XX

  • @thcrs1
    @thcrs1 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    This was probably the case with early horse as well. Most even wild horse populations were domesticated entirely or partially at some point.

  • @brendanblab7508
    @brendanblab7508 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    1: does this apply to all 3 species of zebra, or just the plains zebra?
    2: can we ride / why don't we ride onagers, kiangs, and kulans?

  • @SlovakLegend
    @SlovakLegend 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    damn, I havent seen SciShow in a year... You've gained some weight man! :D

  • @SilverDawnArrow
    @SilverDawnArrow 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    If you go to the museum in Tring you can actually see some of those domesticated zebras (although they are stuffed now...)

  • @TaoriUTS
    @TaoriUTS 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    so tempted to try ride a zebra right now

  • @landonkryger
    @landonkryger 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    If there were a few "individual successes," seems like an opportunity to try some selective breeding like some are trying with foxes. Obviously we won't be seeing a Zebra ridable soon, but I doubt horses were readily ridable 5500 years ago either.