Zebra is most familiar animal found in Africa. They are related to horse family. Zebras and horses both belong to the family Equidae, and the genus Equus. However, they are different species. Though it is not found anywhere except Africa, (and except zoos) it is known to everybody in the world. While learning English alphabets, youngsters are often shown a picture of a zebra and are taught Z for Zebra.

Special Characters of Zebra :

1. Zebras are best known for their black and white stripes. The stripes on all zebras are unique to each individual like fingerprints of humans. Stripes variation is greatest in the shoulder region. At first glance zebras in a herd might all look alike No two zebras are exactly alike.
2. They are powerful animals, weighing around 300kg and standing 1.4m high at the shoulder. Like horses, they can deliver a powerful kick.
3. Zebras have excellent eyesight and they can see the color.
4. They are very social - most live in small family groups.
5. They communicate using the position of their ears and tail and also with high-pitched barks and whinnying.
6. They feed mainly on grasses but will also eat shrubs, herbs, twigs, leaves and bark.
7. They can be found in a variety of habitats, such as grasslands, savannas, woodlands, thorny scrublands, mountains and coastal hills.
8. They are mammals.
9. The life span a zebra is on average 25 years.
10. Lions and hyenas are the major predators of Zebra.

Species of Zebra :

There are three species of zebra: The plains zebra, Grevy's zebra and the Mountain zebra.

1. The plains Zebra (Burchell's Zebra) :

This is also called as Burchell's zebra. Burchell's zebra is named after the British explorer, William John Burchell. He explored southern Africa for five years (1810-1815). They are the most common, numerous and widespread species. Burchell's zebras inhabit savannas, from treeless grasslands to open woodlands.

Stripes Structure : It has thick stripes that run all the way under its belly.

2. The Grevy’s zebra :

Grevy's zebra is named after a former French President - Jules Grevy. In 1882, the emperor of Abyssinia sent a zebra as a gift to the president of France at the time, Jules Grevy. The unfortunate animal died on arrival and was stuffed and placed in the Natural History Museum in Paris, where a scientist later noted its unique stripe pattern and christened it a new species, Equus grevyi, after the French president to whom the animal had been sent.

Compared to other zebra species, Grevy’s Zebras have long legs. They are the biggest of other three species and also they are taller and heavier than the Burchell's, Zebra with a massive head and which they can rotate all around to locate the source of any sound. They live on dry scrublands of Kenya and Ethiopia. Grevy's zebras love to eat, they spend nearly two-thirds of their day just eating.

Stripes Structure : Grevy's zebra has thin, narrow stripes that don't extend under its belly. Their bellies are completely white and do not have any stripes. The Grevy's zebra's black and white stripes are set extremely close together.

3. The Mountain Zebra :

As the name suggests Mountain Zebras live in hot, dry, rocky, mountainous and hilly habitats. They prefer slopes and plateaus and can be found as high as 1,000 meters above sea level, although they do migrate lower in the winter. They are found on mountains of Angola, Namibia and South Africa. They are skilled climbers. It is a threatened species of zebra. They require a high intake of water daily. They are the smallest zebra species.

It has 2 sub species, the Cape Mountain Zebra found in the provinces of Western Cape and Eastern Cape in South Africa, and the Hartmann's Mountain Zebra found in Namibia and Angola.

Hartmann's Mountain Zebra is named after Dr. George Hartmann. Hartmann was a geographer, explorer, colonial politician and Major of the German land resistance.

Stripes Structure : It has thick stripes like the plains zebra, but a plain belly like the Grevy's zebra. Upper tail is marked with a zipper-type grid-iron pattern - the most easily recognizable feature of the mountain zebra.

The Quagga : Extinct subspecies of the plains zebra

The Quagga is an extinct subspecies of the plains zebra, which was once found in great numbers in South. It was distinguished from other zebras by having the usual stripes on the front part of the body only. In the mid-section of the body, the stripes faded and the dark, inter-stripe spaces became wider, and the rear parts were a plain brown. In the year 1883.Quagga species went extinct. The only Quagga to have been photographed alive was a mare at the Zoological Society of London's Zoo in 1870. The very last Quagga died in the year 1883 in Amsterdam Zoo.

Conservation of Zebras :

Lions, cheetah and hyenas are the main natural predators of zebras, but humans are responsible for the drastic decline of this species in recent years. Habitat loss and hunting have made them vulnerable, worsened by their slow reproduction. Grevy’s zebra and Mountain zebras have been declared as endangered species. Hunters hunt Grevy’s zebra for their attractive skin, which has a very good price in the market. So there is an urgent need to conserve Zebra species.

• Written by Chetana Hegde.
• In category Animals.
• 14 years ago.

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