Grevy zebra
The zebra belongs to the horse family - Equidae - and there are three different zebra species:
1. The Grevys zebra, of which there are approximately 4500 animals
2. The mountain zebra, with approximately 35,000 animals
3. The steppe zebra, which is common in Africa.
In addition, there are 8 subspecies.
The patterns of the zebra's stripes differ from animal to animal in the same way that human fingerprints vary from person to person. The zebra's stripes help to confuse predators that are hunting them. If an enemy approaches, the herd runs away at high speed and the animals stay close together. The predator then has difficulty selecting and separating a single animal from the herd.
Grevys zebra can reach a speed of approximately 55 kilometres per hour.
Zebras can sometimes travel together with antelopes and ostriches. In this way, the different herbivores utilise each other's keen senses. The zebra's keen sense of smell combined with the ostrich's sharp eyesight makes it easier to detect predators.
Mares and young animals live together in family herds, while fully grown stallions live alone.
The zebra can be tamed, but there is no tradition of it. London Zoo, for example, has had a vanguard of zebras.
- Distribution: Grevy's zebra can be found on the dry, open bush plains of Kenya and Ethiopia
- Population: Endangered. There are approximately 1,966 to 2,447 in Kenya and Ethiopia.
- Weight: Up to 400 kilos
- Shoulder height: 140-160 centimetres
- Body length: 275 centimetres
- Mating season: May-August
- Sexual maturity: From 2-3 years of age
- Gestation: 370 days
- Number of cubs: 1
- Food: Grass supplemented with leaves and shoots from shrubs
- Zoo menu: Hay, rolled oats, concentrate, vitamins and minerals
- Lifespan: Approximately 20 years in the wild
- Latin name: Equus grevyi