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Yes, they look like horses, and are part of the Equus genus like horses are, but they look a bit different and they roam the plains and mountains of Africa. Zebras, known for their outrageous black and white stripes are one of nature’s finest examples of diversification. Let’s learn a little about these gorgeous creatures, and find out what is happening to them in the 21st century.

Believe it or not, once upon a time, in the Pleistocene period (1.6 million to 10,000 years ago), there existed a number of zebra species that lived in forested areas of North America! Can you imagine if they had survived what it would be like to pass by a field of zebras on your way to school? Since they depend on grasses and shrubs for food, zebras will migrate to the regions that support their needs. Maybe that’s how they were able to wander onto the North American continent. But since those zebras are now long gone we have no solid answers as to how they arrived and what happened to them.

Like horses, zebras are meant to run. Their powerful, long legs and hard hooves allow them to travel good distances. Also like horses, zebras are meant to graze on silceous grasses. However, they need to eat quite a lot of the grasses and shrubs in order to get the nutrients that they need. So, grazing is a top priority in the life of the zebra.

There are three species of zebras still in existence today: Grevy’s zebra, the plains zebra and the mountain zebra. The Grevy’s zebra has the most fabulous stripes of all zebras-black and white pattern covers these zebras from head to toe, except for their bellies, which remain white. Their heads are long and topped with a black mane that stands up straight. Grevy’s zebra is the biggest of the zebras, standing 55-57 inches and weighing 880 pounds! They live mainly in Northern Kenya, north of the Tana River and east of the Great Rift Valley. Look on a map of Africa to see where that is. Sometimes, they wander into parts of Ethiopia and Somalia-as long as proper food and water sources exist.

The zebra reproduces at a slow rate. Gestation takes as long as 13 months, which is longer than any other horse or zebra. That’s why they cannot quickly recover from the losses caused by hunters, or draughts that make water scarce. In fact, having a safe water source for a herd of zebras to visit is very important. Once the foals are born, the mares (mothers) need to be within 1 1/2 miles of the water source. This is because the precious babies do not visit the watering hole until they are three months old. And, unlike any other member of the horse or zebra family, the baby Grevy zebras are left with the territorial male of the herd while the mares visit the watering hole. It’s almost as though they have a nursery school while the mares are away.

Actually, Grevy foals become independent of their mothers at a fairly young age. Think about it- the sooner a creature is able to take care of its food needs, the sooner it can take care of itself. These foals begin to forage for food much sooner than a wild horse would-a six-week-old Grevy will eat as often as a five-month-old horse. Told you that grazing is a top priority for a zebra! They start young.

The plains zebra is the most populous of the zebras. They inhabit the grasslands of Southeastern Africa. They look a bit different than the Grevy zebra, since they are shorter and have less distinct stripes. Another thing that differentiates the plains zebra is their voice. They don’t whinny or bray like other equine. They bark! Woof woof!

Mountain zebras are the third species still left in existence. One way that you can identify the mountain zebra is by its throat. There exists a square flap of skin, known as a dewlap, on the neck. Also, these zebras differ from the others because they do not form herds.

Zebras are able to live as far as 12 miles from a water source, and will visit that source at night if hunters or predators threaten them. They will seek shade during the hot daytime, and inhabit the plateau East of the Namib Desert. Once these zebras were plentiful, but now are considered to be an endangered species with only 7,000 of them remaining on the planet!

The biggest threat to the well being of all zebras is human kind. Unfortunately, humans have infiltrated the zebra’s territory, and have threatened their ability to access water and food. If you care about zebras, see what you can do to help raise awareness about protecting their habitat. We want to see those gorgeous stripes flashing in the sunlight for many years to come.