The closest relative of the horse is the zebra. Only 3 species of these animals live all over the world: Gravy, mountain and ordinary (or Burchell). Once there was another variety - quagga, but it was exterminated before the beginning of the twentieth century. The zebra first became known after the discovery of the continent of Africa, however, there is evidence that these odd-toed ungulates were also familiar to the ancient Romans.
The article provides information about what animals live in Africa, as well as more detailed information about zebras.
Africa Overview
Africa is the world's second largest continent with rich and diverse wildlife. Predators and huge herds of herbivores roam the wide savannahs, snakes and monkeys live in dense and dark forests. Not only the world's largest desert, the Sahara, extends here, but also the smaller Kalahari and Namib. The hot air of these places and scanty rainfall forced desert animals to adapt tothe harsh realities of life. During the dry season, herds of animals travel long distances in search of moisture.
The largest freshwater lakes of the continent: Victoria, Turkana, Tanganyika, Albert and Nyasa. The Nile, the longest river in the world, carries its waters here. The Congo, Senegal, Zambezi, Niger, Limpopo and Orange rivers are also vital waterways for a huge number of fauna and flora. What animals live in Africa? The continent is rich in a huge variety of mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles.
African buffalo, elephant, bongo antelope, wild dog, dorcas gazelle, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, giraffe, lion, zebra, baboon, chimpanzee and more. etc. - they are all representatives of the fauna of this fabulous hot land.
The article presents Burchell's zebra in more detail: what it eats, where it lives, lifestyle, etc.
Species and habitats of zebras
Each species lives in different parts of the African continent.
- Gravy zebra (or desert) is the largest species considered endangered. There are about 2.5 thousand of them left in the wild. In length, this zebra reaches 3 meters, and the height at the withers is approximately 1.4 m. Habitats - deserts and semi-deserts of Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia.
- Mountain zebra has two subspecies - Cape zebra and Hartmann's zebra. The first is found in the zebra park (South Africa) and at the Cape of Good Hope. The second subspecies is distributed on the mountain plateaus of South Africa and Namibia. The number of Cape zebras is 700 individuals, and Hartmann's zebras are approximately 15,000.
- Burchell's zebras have inhabited the savannas and steppe regions of southeast Africa (covering territories from southern Ethiopia to the eastern regions of Angola and South Africa). This variety is the most common and numerous. It is also found in Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan and Zambia. The main range is the southeastern part of the African continent.
Savanna zebra subspecies
This species, depending on the location of the habitat, is divided into 6 subspecies. Moreover, the only distinguishing feature of the subspecies is only the color, or rather, the nature of the arrangement of the stripes. Otherwise, they have no external and other differences. All of them have a dense physique and relatively short legs. Characteristic of all subspecies is the difference between the female and male in size - the first is 10% smaller and has a thinner neck.
The uniqueness of all subspecies lies in the individual unique pattern of animal hairline.
Appearance
Burchell's zebra (savannah) is the most common species, which was named after the botanist Burchell (a famous English scientist). The zebra has the ability to change the pattern on the skin depending on the habitat. The subspecies living in the most northern regions are characterized by the presence of a clearer and more pronounced pattern. Subspecies of the southern regions have a blurred outline of the stripes in the abdominal part of the body and there are stripes on the white skinbeige.
The maximum weight is 340 kg, and the body length is up to 2.4 meters. The tail varies in length from 46 to 57 cm (without long hair tassel).
Unlike the mountain zebra, the Burchell zebra lacks a bulge in the neck and does not have a lattice pattern on the rump.
Character and lifestyle
Zebras are very curious animals, which is why they often fall prey to many predators. These mammals unite in small herds, in which several families gather, each having about 10 heads. Moreover, for one male there are 5-6 females and several cubs, fiercely guarded by the head of this family. In one herd, most often there are no more than 50 individuals, however, herds of more numerous ones can also be found.
In each family of these artiodactyls, a rather strict hierarchy is observed - during rest, as a rule, some individuals act as sentries, so the rest feel safe. It should also be noted that savannah zebras are animals that expel young males (age from 1 to 3 years) from their herd. Such young animals can live both singly and in small groups until reaching puberty.
Diet
Different species and subspecies have differences in nutrition.
Burchell's zebras, like other species, are herbivores. They mainly feed on herbaceous plants, bark and shoots of shrubs. adultsprefer green short grass.
Inhabiting the spacious African savannahs with a fairly rich flora, this species of zebra does not lack food. They love grass plants. But in general, the diet of savanna zebras includes more than 50 types of grasses of the African continent. To a lesser extent, they eat shoots and leaves of shrubs. The problem of adequate nutrition is most acute because of the sources of water, which animals of this species need daily.
The basis of the mountain zebra's diet is grasses and other vegetation growing in the highlands. Some artiodactyl mammals eat corn stalks and fruits, shoots and buds of various plants, as well as their root parts.
What do desert zebras eat? To a greater extent, they are forced to feed on rather coarse vegetation, which is not suitable for many other animals belonging to the horse family. In addition, desert species feed on fibrous grasses with a fairly rigid structure.
Most of the day (daylight hours) all varieties of the family spend grazing.
Some interesting facts
Often people wonder if a zebra has white or black stripes. Most experts describe the zebra as black with white stripes. The statement of scientists - the dominant color is black. And the ancestor of the zebra had a dark color, and the white spots on his coat were transformed into stripes during a long evolution. In any case, zebra stripes are a unique pattern for absolutely every individual (just like tigers). It should be noted that the Burchell's zebra has sparser stripes than the desert's.
It is impossible to find two exactly the same zebras. And these animals recognize each other precisely by the stripes.
It should be noted that the tsetse fly, which is the enemy of many living creatures in Africa, is able to recognize only one-color objects. For her, a herd of striped zebras is almost invisible. This saves them from annoying and terrible insects.
Zebras in the wild live up to 25 years, and in the parks due to the absence of predators and poachers, as well as due to good care for them, they live even up to 40 years.
In conclusion about the enemies of zebras
The main enemy of the Burchell zebra, like other species, is the lion. Scary for her and cheetahs, leopards. Cubs can become prey for hyenas. Among babies, there is a rather high mortality rate not only from attacks of predators, but also from diseases. Until the age of one year in nature, only half of the foals survive. Zebras are threatened by alligators at a watering hole.
The natural protection of these artiodactyls is not only a unique color, but also a well-developed hearing and relatively sharp eyesight. Therefore, this animal is shy and cautious. To escape predators, zebras use a winding run, which helps them to be less vulnerable.
