Mammals: Zebra

Range: eastern and southern Africa Habitat: most zebras live in grasslands and savannas. The Grevy's zebra lives in subdesert and arid grasslands.

Wild horses

Zebras are equids, members of the horse family. They have excellent hearing and eyesight and can run at speeds of up to 35 miles per hour (56 kilometers per hour). They also have a powerful kick that can cause serious injury to a predator, like a lion, a hyena, or an African wild dog. Usually the lead male of the herd, called a stallion, stays at the back of the group to defend against predators if necessary, while the mares (females) and foals (youngsters) run from danger.

White with black stripes or black with white stripes?

This is one of the most-asked questions about zebras. So what's up with the stripes? Zebras are generally thought to have white coats with black (sometimes brown) stripes. That's because if you look at most zebras, the stripes end on their bellies and toward the insides of the legs, and the rest is all white. However (there had to be a catch, right?), some zebras are born with genetic variations that make them all black with white stripes, or mostly dark with the striped pattern only on part of their coats. And as it turns out, zebras have black skin underneath their hair. So it kind of depends on how you look at it!

So, why the stripes? They serve as a kind of protection from predators! When zebras are grouped together, their stripes make it hard for a lion or leopard to pick out one zebra to chase. Different zebra species have different types of stripes, from narrow to wide. In fact, the further south on the African plains you travel, the farther apart the stripes on the zebras get!

Mowing the fields

Zebras are herbivores and feed mostly by grazing on grasses, although they also might browse a bit on the leaves and stems of bushes. They graze for many hours each day, using their strong front teeth to clip off the tips of the grass. Their back teeth then crush and grind the food. Spending so much time chewing wears the zebra's teeth down, so their teeth keep growing all their lives. As the dry season arrives and the grasses die back, zebra herds travel to find more food and water holes for drinking. Most zebras are considered nomadic, without specific territories. The exception is the Grevy's zebra Equus grevyi. Stallions of this species mark out territories with urine and dung. The mares, their foals, and immature males wander through as they wish. If food becomes scarce, though, the stallions will leave their territories for awhile and travel with the larger herds. Zebras at the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park are fed hay, alfalfa, and carrots.

Scratch my back and I'll scratch yours

Zebras are social herd animals, for the most part, living in family groups with a stallion, several mares, and their offspring. During certain times of the year, these groups gather together to form loosely associated herds of up to several hundred, but the family groups still stay together within these larger groups. Zebras communicate with one another with facial expressions and sounds. They make loud braying or barking sounds and soft snorting or whuffling sounds. The position of their ears, how wide open their eyes are, and whether their mouths are open or their teeth are bared all mean something. (Ears flat back, for example, means trouble, or you better follow orders!) Zebras also reinforce their bonds with one another by grooming each other. You might see two zebras standing head to back, apparently biting each other, but they are really only nibbling on each other with their teeth to pull out loose hair and get a good scratch.

Run, baby, run!

Zebra foals are dark brown and white at birth. They can walk just 20 minutes after they are born, and can run after an hour! This is important since the mare needs to move with the herd to find food and water. She cannot leave the foal behind, so it must be up and running quickly in order to stay with the family.