Zebra Facts

Zebra Facts

Image source:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Muhammad_Mahdi_Karim

1. Zebras are known as the king of stripes.

2. The zebra is the African version of the horse. They have a stocky build and are covered with short, coarse hair. The background color is white or buff. The dark striping pattern varies in different body areas and individually. Grant’s zebras have very wide stripes on their hindquarters and stripes all the way down their legs to the hoof. They have an erect mane and a sparse tail.

3. There are three subspecies of zebra: Plains, Grevy’s and Burchell’s. The Plains species, which Grant’s Zebra is part of, is common in Africa but its numbers have reduced due to habitat destruction.

4. Zebras take time to memorize each others stripes if a new zebra comes into the herd. They clean each others fur so they can stay clean from the dirt.

5. They have light bones to help them run fast away from predators.  They have strong, flat teeth that help them eat grass.  They have a layer of fat under their skin to keep looking fit and not fat to predators. They have very strong leg muscles and one kick can kill a puma. 

6. No two zebra’s stripe patterns are identical.  The patterns of their distinctive stripes are as individual as a human fingerprint. This makes it easier for members of a herd to recognize each other but harder for their main predator, the lion, to single one out.

7. Zebras are herbivores and eat mostly grass.

8. A zebra can out run a cheetah or a leopard by running in zig zag lines.  A baby zebra can run 40 miles per hour.

9. This species has a distinctive flap of skin, a dewlap, on the underside of their neck.

10. They have a deep chest to allow for breathing while running swiftly.

11. They have high, narrow hooves for sure footing in rocky terrain.

12. Their heart weighs 3 times that of a Plains zebra to accommodate the increased number of oxygen carrying red blood cells needed in a high altitude environment.

13. They can go 4 days without water. 

14. Lions, hyenas, wild dogs, cheetahs and leopards prey on zebras, but man is the most deadly of all predators.

15. Zebras outside reserves are killed for their decorative hides and fly whisk tails.

16. To evade a predator the Hartmann’s mountain zebra can gallop up to 40 miles per hour and jump a 6 foot wall.

17. Live in bachelor herds or permanent family herds of 5 to 15 mares and foals led by a stallion who protects the herd and keeps it together.

18. Different rump patterns, which are characteristic for each species, help keep the group together as they travel in follow-the-leader fashion.

19. They graze on tufted grass in the morning and late afternoon, resting under thorn bushes during the heat of the day.

20. Their voice is a low snuffing neigh or whinny like a horse’s.

21. In the Namibia desert Hartmann’s zebras sniff out water and paw 3 feet down below the sand of dry river beds to uncover it, thus benefting many desert animals.

22. A zebra’s moods are often indicated visually by changes in ear, mouth and tail positions.

23. Their eyes are set far back in the skull giving them a wide field of vision. Zebra’s can reach speeds of 65 mph. They have flexible ears that can twist in different directions. Their hearing is excellent.  They have one toe on each foot that is surrounded by a hoof. Hard hooves and narrow feet enable them to run over rocky ground. The bones of the zebra are lightweight, but strong.

24. Zebras live in herds of 10 to 30 individuals, with a male leading. They form tightly knit family units whose members interact with each other constantly. When danger threatens, the adults push the foals to the inside of the herd to protect them. They communicate through various sounds, social grooming and body movements. They are active day and night. They defend themselves by kicking and biting.

25. When migrating, zebras slow their pace for weak or young members and never leave them behind. The zebra’s natural predators are lions, Spotted Hyaenas and African Painted Dogs.

26. Zebras have several ways of protecting themselves when attacked by predators. The group will huddle together to form a mix of black and white stripes that will confuse the predator that will be unable to tell which end has the head and which end has the tail.

27. The herd may also run away. Zebras can reach speeds of up to 65 kph. As a last resort, zebras can also use their strong hooves and sharp teeth against a predator.

28. Within several minutes of its birth, a newborn zebra begins to walk, and within just a few hours is capable of running with the rest of the herd.  

29. If forced to face a predator, a zebra will defend itself with powerful kicks. Just one strong, well-placed kick from a zebra is sufficient to kill a predator as large as a hyena.

30. Humans are the predators responsible for the declination of large numbers of zebras.  By hunting for their skins and meat, and by taking over their habitat, we have driven two zebra species to extinction.

31. They can have up to 2 babies at a time. They are pregnant for about 12.5 months. They take care of there young until there young matures which is about 3 years of age.

32. In 1907 they would make zebras carry carriages around. Some people hunt zebras for there skin and meat.Zebras have excellent eyesight, hearing and a keen sense of smell. It is believed that zebras see in color.

33. The Mountain Zebra is the smallest species of zebra.