Zebras
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Wikipedia - online encyclopedia page on
Zebras.
Zebras (order Perissodactyla, family Equidae) are members of
the horse family, native to central and southern Africa.
All have vividly contrasting black and white vertical stripes (hence
the zebra crossing named after it) on the forequarters, often tending
towards the horizontal at the rear of the animal. Originally, most
zoologists assumed that the stripes acted as a camouflage mechanism,
while others believed them to play a role in social interactions, with
slight variations of the pattern allowing the animals to distinguish
between individuals. A more recent theory, supported by experiment,
posits that the disruptive coloration is an effective means of
confusing the visual system of the blood-sucking tsetse fly.
There are three species and many subspecies. Zebra populations vary a
great deal, and the relationships between and the taxonomic status of
several of the subspecies are unclear.
- Plains Zebra, Equus quagga
- Quagga, Equus quagga quagga (extinct)
- Burchell's Zebra, Equus quagga burchelli (rediscovered)
- Grant's Zebra, Equus quagga boehmi
- Chapman's Zebra, Equus quagga antiquorum
- Selous' Zebra, Equus quagga selousi
- Mountain Zebra, Equus zebra
- Cape Mountain Zebra, Equus zebra zebra
- Hartmann's Zebra, Equus zebra hartmanni
- Grevy's Zebra, Equus grevyi
The Plains Zebra (Equus quagga, formerly Equus burchelli) is the most
common, and has or had about five subspecies distributed across much of
southern and eastern Africa.
The Mountain Zebra (Equus zebra) of southwest Africa tends to have a
sleek coat with a white belly and narrower stripes than the Plains Zebra.
Grevy's Zebra (Equus grevyi) is the largest type, with an erect mane,
and a long, narrow head making it appear rather mule-like. It is a
creature of the semi-arid grasslands of Ethiopia, Somalia, and northern Kenya.
A zebra can travel at a top speed of fifty-five kilometres per hour,
slower than a horse. However, it has much greater stamina. During the
course of a day the plains zebra can walk around forty kilometres.