Zebra

Identity & Taxonomy

Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Perissodactyla
Family: Equidae

Zebra

Zebras have black and white stripes all over their bodies except their stomachs, which are white. With their bold black and white stripes, they uniquely stand apart from any other African species. There are 3 species of zebra in Africa: Grevy’s zebra, Mountain zebra & Plains or common zebra. They have four one-toed hoofs. Their slender, pointed ears reach up to eight inches in length. Zebras have manes of short hair that stick straight up from their necks. The stripes on their bodies continue to the mane. They also have a tuft of hair at the end of their tails.

The Grevy’s zebra is the largest of the zebra species standing over 5 feet at the shoulder and weighing up to 900 pounds. With its massive head, stiff upright mane and oversized rounded ears, the Grey zebra looks more like a donkey than the other two species of zebra. Its muscular body is wrapped in a narrow, black and white vertical strips that curve upward on its hind quarters. The animal’s belly is solid white. The Grevy's Zebra differs from all other zebras in its primitive characteristics and different behavior.

Equus Zebra

At a glance, Zebra:

• Status: ENDANGERED.
• SIZE: Zebras reach six to eight-and-a-half feet in length. Their tails are an additional one and a half feet long. Zebras weigh between 530 and 820 pounds. They are four to five feet tall at the shoulder. Equus zebra is generally larger than Equus zebra hartmannae.
• Distribution: Eastern and southern Africa.
• POPULATION: Equus zebra: 600-700 in the wild. Equus zebra hartmannae: 8,000-13,000 in the wild.
• Diet in the wild: Zebras are grazing animals and spend up to 12 hours or more daily in search of food. Grasses make up the bulk of the Grevy’s diet, although shrubs, leaves, fruits, roots and bark are occasionally consumed in lean times.
• Habitat: Savannas; open grasslands, woodlands, and scrub.
• LIFESPAN: Members of the genus Equus (horses, donkeys and zebras) can live 25 to 45 years.