5 Animals That Are Black & White.

GIANT PANDA

Photo by Laura The Explaura

The list starts with an animal that is loved by almost everyone. The first animal on the list is the giant panda, a member of the bear family famous for its black and white body colour and generally docile nature. It is found naturally only in the mountain ranges of China.

It is often seen as a herbivore as its diet consists almost entirely of bamboo. However, it is taxonomically classified as a carnivore because of its carnivore-like digestive system. It is believed that it became a bamboo eater some 2-2.4 million years ago.

ZEBRA

Photo by Magda Ehlers

The second animal on the list is the zebra, a striped animal of the Equidae family. There are three extant species of zebra namely Grévy's zebra, plains zebra and mountain zebra. They inhabit eastern and southern Africa.

A common question about zebras is whether they are black with white stripes or white with black stripes? Zebras have black skin, so, they are black with white stripes. The stripes of zebras also serve some functions. Some common functions of these stripes are believed to be camouflage, avoiding insect bites, thermoregulation and social function.

PANDA ANT

Euspinolia militaris by Chris Lukhaup

One of the not-so-popular members of the insect world is the panda ant. Even though it is known as the panda ant, it is neither a panda nor an ant. It is actually a wasp. Then why the name panda ant? The panda in its name comes from its black and white colour similar to that of the giant panda and the ant in its name is because it is a member of the family Mutillidae. The members of this family are commonly known as velvet ants because the females are wingless and resemble ants.

The panda ant is also known as the "cow killer" because of its painful sting.

ORCA

Photo by Felix Rottmann

If there's truly an apex predator in the marine world, it is the orca. With no natural predators and the ability to hunt animals like sharks and whales, orcas rule the waters.

Orcas, also known as killer whales, belong to the dolphin family. The name "killer whale" is given to them because ancient sailors observed them hunting whales. Orcas are cosmopolitan species and have complex social structures. They feed on a variety of animals including birds, mammals and fish. They have also been reported to kill blue whales, the largest mammals on the earth.

SKUNK

Image credit: nps.gov

The last on the list is the skunk, an animal known for spraying a foul smelling, sulfuric liquid. Skunks are 20-30 inches in length and are native to North America. They defend themselves against predators by spraying a liquid from their two highly specialized scent glands present on each side of their anus. Skunks are carriers of viruses and bacteria such as rabies virus, canine parvovirus and Leptospira.