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Zebra
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Mammals |
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Africa |
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Africa Savannah |
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Equidae |
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300 K.G |
 |
Grassy plains and Savannahs |
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Grass, plants |
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330 to 375 days |
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1 |
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Lions, hyenas, cheetahs |
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abundant |
No two stripe patterns are
the same...A little like our finger prints.
The physical and most distinctive zebra’s features are its black and white stripes as well as its striking resemblance with the horse. The stripes have a role in the camouflage, social cohesion and might also have a role in heat dissipation. Its body is adapted for speed. It can run at a speed of up to 64 km/h. It has great endurance and can go hundreds of kilometres in one day. Every year, it migrates great distances in order to find food and water. It can also swim in river crossings. The common zebra can be 1,2 to 1,3 meters (about 4 feet) at the withers and can weigh from 225 to 300 kilos (500 to 660 lbs). Its sense of hearing is well developed. The common zebra is found in eastern central Africa as well as in south eastern Africa. It is an herbivore and feeds mostly on grasses and herbaceous plants. It is found in the great grassy plains in a semi desert climate as well as in the savannahs along with ostriches, wildebeests and gazelles.
Zebras are gregarious and live in groups found in large herds; a group is made up of about ten individuals from the same family with one dominant stallion. A female has only one young after a gestation period ranging from 11 to 12 months. An individual can live from 25 to 30 years in nature. Zebras have many natural predators: lion, hyena, wild dog, leopard and cheetah. Zebras have long been part of an abusive hunt for its beautiful striped skin and for the meat. The common zebra is abundant and is not and endangered species anymore thanks to conservation programs and to the creation of a large number of national parks, in 1937, where they are still protected today.