Grevy Zebra

Range:
Ethiopia, Somalia, Africa, southern Sudan, and northern Kenya.

Habitat:
Semi-arid scrub and grasslands, sub-desert regions, and plains.

Size:
Body Length: 288-360 cm; Height 1.25-1.5 m; Weight: 350-470 kg (Males and females are generally the same size)

Young:
Mares usually have only one foal at a time but there have been cases of more than one.

Gestation:
380-390 days or 11-12 months.

Diet (wild):
Grazer: mostly coarse grasses or leaves off shrubs. They will also consume bark, leaves, and roots.

Diet (zoo):
Alfalfa and grass hay, Alfalfa cubes, mixed pellets, and mineral salt blocks.

Life spans:
In the wild they may live 20-25 years; In captivity they may live 25-30 years.

Status:
Listed by USFWS as threatened due to hunting and human encroachment. Less than 15, 000 remain. They are protected by CITES. Their refusal to migrate may be a factor of their threatened status.

Threats:
Hunting and human encroachment.

Anatomy/Physiology:
Middle toe on foot is fully developed, ending in a hoof. Broad, black stripes on neck and narrow, black stripes on body serving as a disruptive camouflage. Stripes do not cover the belly, which is white. Mane is tall and erect, unlike a horse’s. Ears are large and donkey like with thick fur inside which aids their hearing. Smell and hearing are very acute. They have good peripheral vision to scan large areas for predators. Their incisors are used to clip grass and numerous cheek-teeth to grind their food.

Social/Family units:
Variety of associations: stallion and mare, mares and foals, and mixed herds. Adult males usually live alone in a large territory in which they claim exclusive mating rights. When they do group together, it usually only lasts a couple of months. A high amount of competition exists for mating rights. Females have a dominance hierarchy as well, but engage in mutual grooming to establish relationships with each other.

Habits:
Two males will compete for an area by pushing contests, rearing, and biting. Territory marked with dung and calls. In the dry season, mares and non-territorial stallions migrate. Stallions are unlikely to mate. Territorial stallions stay on, but some will leave during extremely dry months.

Communication:
Their voice is ass-like, similar to the braying of a donkey.

Defensive/Aggressive behavior:
Running is its best means of escape. Biting and kicking may occur in extreme cases.

Predators:
Lions and man.

Locomotion:
Locomotion is that of a domestic horse. Their top speed is 30-32 miles per hour.

Activity:
They graze both at night and during they day.

Any interesting story/fact:
Each zebra has a unique stripe pattern, like a person’s finger print. The Romans called them hippotiguis. Named in 1882 after the President of France.