Plains zebra

Physical features

• Zebras are known for their striped patterns in black and white. They are thought of as having white coats and black stripes, because the black stripes end on their belly and toward the inside of the legs and the space in between is white. Underneath the hair, their skin is black.

• They have short, stiff manes that have a pad of fat underneath that helps it stand up.

• Plains zebras are distinguished from the other species by broad stripes that extend around the belly and down to the hoof.

• An adult male zebra, or stallion, is about five feet in length and the adult female, or mare, is slightly shorter. Average adult female weights range from 600 to 750 pounds. They are the smallest of the three species of zebra.

• Zebra have sharp specialized front (incisor) teeth to easily cut the grass that they eat and large flat molars for crushing.

• Zebras are odd-toed ungulates (perissidactyls) and walk on the tips of their toes. Zebras are not ruminant ungulates, so they must take in a lot of food to get adequate nutrients in their diet. Zebras need to drink daily, and thus they are restricted to habitats where water can be accessed within half a day’s walk.

• Zebras are active day and night and engage in synchronous behavior. Often their activity is determined by their distance to a water source.

Diet: Herbivore

• Wild – Grasses; sometimes leaves, stems

• Zoo – Bermuda hay, grain, Equi-Aid (supplement that helps with digestion), salt/minerals; for enrichment, sweet potatoes or carrots are added to their hay or placed in an object to prolong grazing

• Zebras are grazers. When a zebra cuts downt he grass, it helps promote new growth. Usually first to arrive to a new grazing area, they are true pioneers of the grasslands, feeding on the coarser top grass and leaving the tender stems, leaves and growing shoots for other grazers.

• Teeth are worn down by so much grazing, so they continue to grow throughout their lives.

Reproduction

• Juvenile males, or colts, and juvenile females, or fillies, are both sexually mature at 16-22 months, but males will not begin competing for females until they are around 4 years old.

• Zebras live in family groups composed of 5-20 individuals, with one adult male, females, and their young. Females (mares) form groups and associate with a single male (stallion) because the male protects them from sexual harassment from other males. This is a big benefit to females because it allows them to spend more time foraging.

• Males that are not part of a family group with females will form bachelor herds.

• While a mare is in estrus, the stallion will sniff the mare’s urine and dung and exhibit the flehmen response (response to scents in which they curl their upper lip and draw the scent into the Jacobsen’s organ within the nasal cavity). The stallion marks the mare’s dung and urine with his own, although the significance of this behavior is not known. Mares will also display a distinctive facial expression (exaggerated chewing with an open mouth, teeth partially showing, ears folded back) and posture that indicate estrus to attract stallions. Males that already have a harem of females and bachelor males looking to form harems will compete through biting and kicking for breeding access to the females.

• The gestation period is about 12-14 months and one baby, or foal, is produced at a time.

• Mares gives birth lying on their side and foals are born head first.

• Foals weigh around 55-88 pounds at birth.

• Newborn foals can stand within their first 15 minutes and begin nursing within an hour.

• Foals may begin grazing within a week after birth, but also may nurse from 7-16 months.

• Foals are born with shaggy fur and brownish stripes, rather than black and white coloration.

• Mares keep foals at a distance from the rest of the herd for a short time, around ten days, so that the foal can imprint on her. After this, they will join the rest of the group and other members can make contact with the foal.

• Fillies remain in the herd until 16-22 months of age. Colts leave their family herd when they are between two and three years old to join a bachelor herd until they are 4-5 years old when they will being competing for females.

Interpretive Information

• There are three species of zebra: Grevy's Zebra (E. grevyi) and the Plains (Common) Zebra (Equus burchelli), and Mountain Zebra (Equus zebra) and they can be distinguished by their different stripe patterns.

• Zebras are equids and closely related to domesticated horses.

• Family groups may join with other herds to form huge groups numbering in the thousands. Social bonding within large herds allows for greater protection; herds look more intimidating than individuals. Their herds will also coexist with other groups of animals, since more animals means higher likelihood of being alerted to predators.

• Lions are the zebra's chief predator; however, the zebra's most devastating enemy is man.

• A zebra's best protection is to run from a predator, at speeds of up to 40 mph. It will use its hooves to lash out and is able to kick with expert marksmanship when threatened. The lead stallion will alert the rest of the herd to a threat and will defend the mares and foals as they run away.

• Zebras will lie down when resting, with one member of the herd standing to keep watch for danger.

• There are a few different theories about why zebras have stripes. Stripes may serve as a type of insect repellent, helping the zebra avoid nasty bites from disease carrying flies. The color pattern may help to regulate body temperature, keeping a zebra cool while standing in the sun to graze. The stripes may serve as “disruptive coloration,” making it difficult for a predator to zero in on one individual in a herd.

• Plains zebras are nomadic with no specific territories, travelling seasonally to follow available water and food.

• Zebras’ vocalizations include braying, barking, snorting and whuffs. They also communicate with facial expressions and body language.

Updated June 2019