Zebra

A male foal Zebra sticks close to his mother at the National Zoo of San Salvador. This baby is less than a week old and the first to be born in the National Zoo.

Zebra mussels have finally made their way down the Susquehanna River to the Chesapeake Bay, though it's unclear what if any harm the invasive aquatic species might do there. This month, state biologists found 20 of the non-native shellfish attached to three channel marker buoys off Havre de Grace as they were removing the buoys from the water for the winter, the Department of Natural Resources reported. Native to the Caspian and other seas in eastern Europe, zebra mussels were first discovered in the United States in the Great Lakes region in the 1980s, likely transported there in the ballast water of ships.

If you never made it to the Polka-Dotted Zebra, that quirky little store in Cockeysville, don't fret. Owner Jill Bosse has just moved her artsy store to a much larger space in Towson. The old place was basically "a shoe box with things stuffed in it," she said. The new space has a front section filled with funky items, such as mosaics, painted brooms and mailboxes, and a large back section set up like an art gallery. The store features unique collectibles -- some acquired, some created by Bosse and other artists.

A male foal Zebra sticks close to his mother at the National Zoo of San Salvador. This baby is less than a week old and the first to be born in the National Zoo.

Seventeen people were arrested overnight on drug possession and handgun charges as city police from Western District's Drug Enforcement Unit conducted "Operation Zebra."Police said 15 people were charged with drug possession and two others were charged with handgun violations.Those arrested were being held at the Western District today awaiting bail hearings.The exact locations of the raids were not released, but they were said to be throughout the district, which includes areas between Fremont Avenue and Poplar Grove Street.

Vandals stole the head of a zebra from Richard Knight's Inner Harbor carousel Sunday night, the owner reported yesterday."This is just senseless," Mr. Knight said after he discovered that someone had mutilated the zebra, one of four originals on the 83-year-old carousel.He is offering a $1,000 reward for the return of the animal's head and the arrest and conviction of the people responsible.He said he closed the carousel at 7 p.m. Sunday, five hours earlier than usual, and found the damage when he returned yesterday.

Near a lab stacked to the ceiling with fish tanks, Shannon Fisher focuses a microscope on an embryo that is only hours old. A remarkable thing comes into view: a two-chambered heart pumping a column of pale-red blood. Over the space of two days, she watches one eye divide into two, a brain separate into lobes and folds, and a spine unfurl and sprout a tail. Finally, a baby zebra fish with all its parts wriggles away. To scientists interested in the wondrous changes that occur when a fertilized egg develops into a complete organism, this is a thing of beauty.

It's a jungle out there in Harford County.The rolling hills usually reserved for cows and sheep are home to exotic animals such as zebras, llamas and bison -- some as pets, others as part of an evolving agricultural community struggling to hang on amid housing developments and businesses."

Do you know? What are the three different types of zebra? Answer: Grevy's, Plains, Mountain. True or False? Zebras have brown stripes. True! Newborn zebras are born white with chocolate brown stripes. The brown stripes change to black as the animals grow up. Learn more! Visit the zebra herd at The Baltimore Zoo's African Watering Hole. 1. Like fingerprints, zebra stripes are unique. No two animals have the same pattern. 2. To keep clean, the zebra rolls in dust. When the dust dries and is shaken off, it pulls loose hair and dry skin away with it. 3. The zebra's predators are lions and hyena.

ZOO ZONE What's for dinner? Zebra are grazers and eat grass and plants. Zebra are highly social animals that live in herds. Their stripe patterns are used as camouflage to confuse predators such as lions. When moving as a herd, the stripes blur individual animals, making it difficult to pick out one target. WILD FACTS Do you know? Where do zebras live? Answer: Zebras are found on the grasslands and savannahs of Africa. Learn more! Visit the zebra at Base Camp: Rhino opening May 26th at The Baltimore Zoo. Read "On Beyond Zebra" by Dr. Seuss.

For Under Armour, the story was always the same: Form follows function. The Baltimore sports apparel company's gear was designed to keep you sweat-free, while its tight fit showed off the muscular physiques of those lucky enough to have them. The brand was never known for being fashion-forward. But that was then. Now the billion-dollar firm, which as recently as three years ago limited its clothing offerings to shirts, shorts and other athletic wear in only the most basic colors, is looking to up its game — and expand its business — with zebra-print leggings for women and graphic T-shirts with slogans such as "Rain.

Name: : EarPollution NervePipes What they are: : Folding headphones that you can design on the Internet How they work: : The buyer visits EarPollution's Web site and selects from an array of colors and designs, including some rather funky choices - such as zebra - for the earpieces. The good: : As travel phones, they work well, because the earpieces are hinged to fold up toward the headset. Having broken two pairs of pricey rigid headphones already, I was eager to see if these could stand up to month after month in a briefcase, suffering the stress of books and bottles resting on top. They withstood all the jostling I could bring to bear.

Alarm bells have been sounded before about invasive species that might devastate the Chesapeake Bay - the northern snakehead, the scary, land-crossing "Frankenfish" that's now a naturalized resident of the Potomac River comes most immediately to mind. But few have gotten the advance billing for pure destructiveness that the zebra mussel has received. Last fall, six dead zebra mussels were found in the lower Susquehanna River, two of them in Maryland waters - including one at the Conowingo Dam. If history follows its usual course, it's not a matter of "if" but only a question of "when" the freshwater mussels become established in the less saline portions of the Chesapeake Bay. What might result from this?

More zebra mussels have been found in the Maryland portion of the Susquehanna River, state environmental officials confirmed yesterday. The alien mussels, which can cause millions of dollars in damage to water supply and hydroelectric intake pipes and upset the local ecology, were attached to a boat at Glen Cove Marina in Harford County. Earlier this month, a single mussel was found within the intake hydroelectric station at Conowingo Dam, the first sighting in the state. More mussels have been found six miles upstream in Pennsylvania at Muddy Run Reservoir.

The zebras made a run for it. Spotting a door ajar, three striped members of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus broke out yesterday from their temporary home in Baltimore's 1st Mariner Arena. But they didn't get far. Evidently bewildered by the bustle on Hopkins Place downtown, Mali, Giza and Lima -- geldings born in Missouri seven or eight years ago -- allowed themselves to be corralled by trainer Karin Houcke and two handlers within half a block of their exit point. No need for a lasso, since each animal wore a bridle.

Zebra Kids, a documentary focusing on Zaipo Oula's African drumming and dance class at Baltimore's Robert Poole Middle School, will have its world premiere Thursday at the Creative Alliance at the Patterson, 3134 Eastern Ave. The film, produced and directed by Gabriel Goodenough, is the latest work from the Megaphone Project, a group intent on producing documentary films spotlighting "the fight for social and economic justice in Maryland." A filmmaker Q&A and participatory drum circle will follow.

What's for dinner? Zebras spend many hours grazing, always alert for predators. (animals that hunt zebra for food). Seeing stripes! A member of the horse family, the zebra lives in herds (groups of family members). The animal's sharp eyesight and hearing make it quick to warn others when enemies are near. The zebra's stripes help it confuse predators. The female zebra usually mates in spring. A single foal is born and up on its feet within an hour. After a few hours, it is ready to move with the herd, a natural behavior that protects the young from predators.

The Baltimore-based Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, eager to increase its Washington presence, is negotiating to simulcast former Redskins great John Riggins' radio show, according to officials with knowledge of the talks. MASN would televise all or part of the Hall of Fame running back's program, which airs 4 to 7 p.m. weekdays on three Washington-area stations known collectively as "Triple X ESPN Radio." The stations are part of Red Zebra Broadcasting, a media company formed by Redskins owner Daniel Snyder earlier this year.

Hullo, Zeeba Neighba ... The characters of the daily comics have distinct voices inside our heads. Bucky Katt from Get Fuzzy has a Boston accent. Hagar the Horrible sounds like Ralph Kramden. The Pattersons of For Better or For Worse sound like Canadians, if they lived in Wisconsin. And then, there are the crocodiles. The dimwitted, zebracidal crocs from Stephan Pastis' Pearls Before Swine tie us in linguistic knots. What's that accent? Brooklyn? Cajun? Southern? "Hullo, zeeba neighba.