Zebras are black and white because their stripes provide them with camouflage, cooling and protection against predators and biting insects. Did you know that each zebra species features a different pattern in their black and white stripes? Mountain zebras have a combination of horizontal and vertical stripes, and some plains zebras have brown shadowy stripes.
Baby zebras have stripes at birth. But their stripes are brown instead of black like their parents. Their stripes begin to turn black as they mature. Their stripes turn black when they are between 9 and 18 months old.
Like horses, they can neigh, snort and whinny. Similar to donkeys, they can also bray, but it starts out more like a growl and ends in a high squeal.
If a plains zebra spots a predator, it makes a barking sound like that of a dog. Learn more about the sounds a zebra makes. Zebras usually stay clear of humans, but they can attack humans if they feel threatened or cornered.
Zebras are afraid of being chased, attacked and eaten by predators which you can read about next. Predators like lions, leopards , cheetahs , hyenas , and African wild dogs like to eat zebras. Crocodiles will surprise attack zebras and take them down at river crossings for their dinner. Some humans also hunt and eat zebras. Unlike wildebeests and gazelles who are picky grazers, zebras are equipped with specialized digestive systems that can process older and poorer quality grass.
Once a herd of zebras clears out older forage, it makes way for the better quality stuff to grow. Based on population estimates from the IUCN Red List, this is how many individuals are left for each of the zebra species:.
The population numbers for all three species of zebras are decreasing due to habitat loss and livestock grazing. With all three zebra species combined, the overall population is estimated to be just under , individuals.
A group of zebras is referred to as either a herd or dazzle , which is what happens to your mind when you see a herd of these striped creatures bolting through grassland in unison. Zebra herds can vary between family groups of 5 to 20 members to large congregations of 1, individuals. Many herds consist of a dominant stallion with several mares and their foals.
Herds also protect foals by keeping them in the middle when traveling. The foal is capable of running within an hour of its birth. The mother will keep a careful eye over the newborn, imprinting their own striping patterns, scent and vocalization on the foal. While the foal will attempt to graze after a few weeks, it will often continue to nurse for eight to thirteen months.
Zebras are social animals and live in groups called herds. There is typically a lead male of the herd, called a stallion.
The herd also consists of several females and their young. The stallion stays at the back of the group to defend against predators. When zebras are grouped together, the stripes make it difficult for predators, including lions and leopards, to pick out one zebra to chase.
Zebras communicate with each other through facial expressions, ear positioning and sounds. They make loud braying or barking sounds and soft snorting sounds. Their ear positioning, how wide open their eyes are, and whether they show their teeth all send a signal. However, the largest threats to zebras are linked to human activities, such as hunting and habitat loss or fragmentation.
Habitat loss due to human encroachment, agricultural practices, and livestock grazing remains an issue in the ongoing conservation of this species. That's because if you look at most zebras, the stripes end on their belly and toward the inside of the legs, and the rest is all white.
However there had to be a catch, right? And as it turns out, zebras have black skin underneath their hair. So it 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 combined 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 farther south on the African plains you travel, the farther apart the stripes on the zebras get! The basic form of zebras—a large head, sturdy neck, long legs, a dorsal stripe along the spine and down a tasseled tail, and bristly mane—is universal.
No zebra, or other wild equid, has a forelock. A mountain zebra has vertical stripes on the neck and torso, which graduate to wider—and fewer—horizontal bars on the haunches. It has a gridiron pattern on the rump, and its white underside has a dark stripe that runs the length of the belly.
The plains zebra is the most abundant and the smallest of the three zebra species. Mountain zebras, as their name implies, inhabit rocky, arid slopes in Namibia and Angola. Plains zebras, which are the most abundant of the three zebra species, are found from the grasslands of East Africa to the scrubby woodlands of southern Africa.
Zebras are herbivores and feed mostly by grazing on grasses, although they also might browse a bit on the leaves and stems of bushes. The Grevy's zebra lives in in the arid grasslands of Ethiopia and northern Kenya. The mountain zebra is found in South Africa, Namibia and Angola. Plains zebras and mountain zebras live in family groups led by a stallion, with several mares and offspring. Family groups known as harems sometimes get together to form loosely associated herds, according to the San Diego Zoo.
However, Grevy's zebras don't have herds. Instead, stallions establish territories and mares cross into them to breed and give birth. Once the foals are old enough to travel, they and their mothers move on. Zebras have several ways they communicate with one another. Facial expressions, such as wide-open eyes or bared teeth, all mean something.
They also bark, bray, snort or huff to get their point across. Even the position of their ears can signal their feelings, according to the San Diego Zoo. For example, ears flattened back means trouble. Another habit of zebras is mutual grooming, which they do to strengthen their bonds with each other. Known predators of zebras include lions, leopards, cheetahs and hyenas.
When danger approaches, the stallion will alert the others with a high-pitched snort, according to the University of Michigan.
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