Africa's Horse – The Glorious Zebra – How They Exist And Thrive

October 31st, 2009 by KittyKitty

African mammals from the horse family, zebras owe their world fame for the black and white

stripes on their bodies that represent the very label of their individuality. The African landscape remains unique thanks to these

magnificent animals that remain an attraction point for any tourist to Africa.Click

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There are three major species of zebras, the mountain zebras, the plains zebras and the Grevy’s

each with specific features and behaviors additional to the common traits. Imperial or Grevy zebras share wide areas in the lands of Kenya

with their plain zebras kin; these two subspecies are actually the ones to

resemble horses most.

Though limited to the African continent, zebras

are adapted to many diverse habitats from

savannas and grasslands to mountains,

hills and woodlands. Presently, the number of zebras roaming in the wild is definitely

smaller than a century ago since

hunting and the development of

cities at the expense of the wild habitat triggered number fluctuations among zebras.You

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The zebras color pattern functions as some form of print, every individual is unique and the

members of a group are able to identify each other thanks to these very patterns. Moreover, the stripes have a very important camouflage function against

predators like lions. The stripes look just like waving grass

particularly when the zebras live in herds, and lions have

great difficulty spotting them because of their monochromatic view.

Zebras have great eyesight, and scientists believe that these animals have a visual acuity

that makes them able to distinguish colors. Moreover, night vision is one other

remarkable skill together with a great sense of hearing. Danger can be more easily

detected with the ability to move ears in all directions, and last but not least, the

smell and taste are also superior to that of other mammals.
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As for food preferences, zebras are very

adaptable grazers feeding on twigs, trees, leaves and bark. Another anatomical advantage is the capacity of the zebras to live on small amounts of

nutrients, which means that any grass is good as long as it is not toxic.

The mating habits of the zebras vary from one

subspecies to another: some live in permanent groups of several mares and a stallion, while other only

gather in herds temporarily for the mating season. The mating cycle occurs once a year for females ending with

the birth of a single foal.

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