Equidae - zebras
Zebras are odd-toed ungulates and thus belong to the Perissodactyla order. There are three extant families within this order: Equidae (horses, asses, and zebras), Rhinocerotidae (rhinos), and Tapiridae (tapirs).
~Grevy’s zebra (Equus grevyi)
~Mountain zebra (E. zebra)
~Plains zebra (E. quagga)
Where do zebras live?
Zebras are widespread across vast areas of southern and eastern Africa, where they live in their preferred habitat of treeless grasslands and savannah woodlands. However, their habitat is shrinking, and they're already extinct in two of the countries to which they're native (Lesotho and Burundi).
Zebras don't live in deserts, wetlands or rainforests, which may make them vulnerable to climate change.
There are three species of zebra found in the wild:
A distinctive animal that lives in herds - learn more about zebras with our expert guide, which looks at key species facts, where they live in the wild and
How far do zebras migrate?
One of the most extraordinary phenomena in the natural world is the annual 1,800-mile migration of millions of zebra, blue wildebeest and other antelope between the Serengeti in Tanzania and Kenya’s Masai Mara in a constant search of food and water.
Only the plains zebra (originally termed burchell's - an East African subspecies) will be dealt with here.
All three senses are very well developed, with each playing a major role in social
communication and survival.
Their eyesight, although good, is no better than that of humans during the day. Along with that of giraffe it is arguably the most acute vision among local herbivores. Zebras do, however, lack colour vision, but their night sight is better than ours owing to the higher concentration of rod cells in the retina. Smell plays a major role. The mother and foal recognise each other by body scent, thus forming the initial parent/ oftspring bond (followed by visual imprinting). Flehmen is well developed with a very pronounced lip-curl heir hearing is good although the ears are not as omni-directional as those of antelope or rhino. The ears are relatively small compared to those of many other
nerbivores, possibly indicating that sight, and maybe even smell, are more important to resurvival and social well-being in the open habitat they preter.
MAMMALS ZEBRAS
The oround colour is white with black stripes, seen clearly if you were to shave their fur. The skin is not banded black and white, as some believe. The unique pattern of each zebra, along with its scent, enables the foal and mother to identify each other in the first few days after birth. During this vital imprinting phase the mother protects
the foal from seeing or coming into close contact with other members of the herd. It is not clear which part of the pattern, if not the whole pattern, is memorised. Indications are that it may be the face pattern between the eyes down to the nose and/ or the shoulder pattern. The thickness, colour and number of the stripes vary
considerably, and all the local sub-species, to a lesser or greater extent, have what are called shadow stripes. These are paler brownish-coloured stripes that are on top of the white stripes of the flanks. No one knows for sure, although most theories with regard to the reason for their unique striping revolve camouflage and defance .
The most popular of these Is that predators Without colour vision find zebras visually difficult to isolate when they are bunched in groups. The stripes tend to blur the individual body outlines (called disruptive camouflage - also believed to be one of the reasons why you seldom see lone zebras. Another is that the stripes make it easier tor individuals to see one another in poor or hazy conditions, as
when individuals flee in the dust created by the herd, particularly at night. However, general zebra behaviour does not entirely support many of these theories. They prefer an open habitat, often with short grass, where they are conspicuous. They also tend to be quite noisy and make no attempt to remain inconspicuous, resulting in their
becoming tempting targets. Indeed, if stripes were the miracle 'survival cure', then why don't other animals have similar patterns? After years of study, the question remains unanswered but one interesting phenomenon has become apparent. There is a greater concentration of capillaries below the black stripes than the white stripes, the function of which is thought to be an aid in dissipating heat. The black stripes get hotter than the white, resulting in a lower pressure above these stripes than the white. This pressure gradient causes cooler air to flow from the white stripes to the black stripes.
Are zebras white with black stripes?
No, in fact zebras are black with white stripes!
Some zebras don't have stripes on their bellies, in which case the fur is white, so we used to think that zebras were white with black stripes. But recent research looking at embryological evidence has shown that a zebra's underlying colour is actually black, and it's the white that's added on top
Can you ride a zebra?
It would be possible to ride a zebra, but definitely not recommended. Riding a zebra wouldn't be practical simply because they're smaller than horses and unlikely to be able to support the weight of an adult human for an extended period of time without getting injured, especially as they haven't been selectively bred for this trait like horses have
How fast can a zebra run?
Zebras are very speedy animals, and can reach speeds of up to 65kph when galloping across the plains. This is just fast enough to outpace predators such as lions. Foals can run with the herd within a few hours of birth.
How do zebras keep cool in the sun?
A zebra’s stripy coat is thought to disperse more than 70 per cent of incoming heat, preventing the animal from overheating in the African sun. This is because air moves at different speeds over light-absorbing black stripes and light-reflecting white stripes, so the zebra creates its own cooling air currents.
What is a group of zebras called?
A dazzle of zebras is the most common collective noun, named for the motion dazzle effect created by a group of running zebras.
A group of zebras can also be called a herd of zebras or a zeal of zebras, but those aren't quite as much fun
plains and mountain zebras is more tight-knit, with the animals living in harems of up to six breeding females and their young, with a dominant male. Each female has a place in the hierarchy.
These groups are so close that if a predator injures one individual, fellow members will circle it and attempt to scare the intruder away with their teeth and hooves.
Do zebras sleep on their feet?
Like horses, zebras sleep standing up, and usually only when in the safety of a group.
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