The zebra is one of the most distinctive animals in the world due to its unique black and white or brown pattern, and each type of zebra
has a unique pattern that differs from any other zebra on Earth, so where does the zebra live in the world? The zebra is one of the most recognizable African animals in the savanna.
Where does the plains zebra live
The plains zebra is an endangered species and currently has the largest number of living subspecies totaling six. In the 19th century, one subspecies of
the quagga that was native to southern Africa was hunted to extinction, the Burchill's zebra named after William Burchill.
It is a subspecies of the plains zebra that is native to southern Africa.
Large numbers live in the Etosha National Park in Namibia and Swaziland.
Another subspecies of the plains zebra is Grant's zebra with a range that includes Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The country and Kenya where they inhabit the eastern region of the state, and the subspecies of Selous zebra are listed as
endangered from all the plains zebra, which is mostly found in Mozambique, and formerly had a habitat covering most of southeast Africa.
Within the northern region of East Africa lives another subspecies known as Manels' zebra. These subspecies occupy lands in Kenya, Karamojia in Uganda, and Owl World Park in southern Sudan.
Another subspecies of the plains zebra is Chapman's zebra, native to Namibia, Zambia, and Botswana.
Angola, and the last subspecies of the plains zebra is the crucian zebra, with a native range extending across four African countries: Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia.
Characteristics of the plains zebra
The plains zebra is medium-sized, thick-bodied, and has relatively short legs.
Both male and female plains zebras reach a height of about 1.4 meters (4.6 feet) at the shoulder, a length of about 2.3 meters (8 feet), and a weight of about 294 kilograms (646 pounds). However, males may weigh 10% more than females.
Like all zebras, they are black and white striped and no two are exactly alike.
They all have vertical stripes on the front of the body, which move towards the horizontal stripes in the back.
Northern species of the plains zebra have narrower and more defined stripes while the groups Southern ones vary but have lesser amounts of streaking on the underparts, legs and hindquarters.
Like all zebras, the plains zebra has sharp vision and hearing which helps it spot predators early on.
It also has an excellent sense of taste with which it can detect subtle changes in the quality of its food.
Plain zebra behavior
The plains zebra stays in family groups of stallion, or males and several mares, however, different families gather in
huge herds of hundreds of zebras, and the herds mix with wildebeests, ostriches and antelopes.
while grazing and even rely on them as extra protection against predators, the donkey The wildebeest is always busy and alert and very noisy, and it makes a
lot of sounds, and during the rainy season in the Serengeti, it may form total flocks of up to 10,000 individuals, and is part of one of the last great wildlife spectacles in the world.
The plains zebra communicates with each other, the mares will whine when separated from their foals to warn of danger, the zebra's alarm is the barking bark they all make while escaping from predators.
the mares exist in a hierarchy where the alpha female is the first to mate with the stallion and the She is the one who leads the group, and when new mares
are added to the group, they are met with hostility by other mares, and therefore the stallion must protect the new mares until aggression is submitted, and
the zebra strengthens its social ties through grooming, that is, cleaning each other’s organs from scraping
the neck, shoulders and back With their teeth and lips, mothers and foals often take care of the siblings, and grooming shows marital status and moderates aggressive behaviour.
Plain zebra breeding
Mares in the wild reach sexual maturity between 2-4 years, and males can compete for mares after they reach the age of about four.
When collecting females for breeding, competing stallions compete fiercely by pushing, kicking, and biting each other.
Ownership of these harems is contested, if unfit or ill. The gestation period of the plains zebra is about 12-13 months (365-390 days).
Since the mare may reach the stage of estrus (ready for mating) within days of birth, she can become pregnant almost annually, and the female usually gives birth
to one foal, because twins are rare, and at birth the foal weighs about 70 pounds (32 kilograms), and the foal can stand on almost immediately and galloping within a day.
Although the foal may graze within a week of birth, it continues to nurse for up to 16 months. Infant mortality averages about 50%, mostly due to predation
by lions and The spotted hyena, and the plains zebra have an average lifespan of 20-25 years in the wild and 40 years in captivity.