Zebra

The geographic range of the plains zebra stretches from South Sudan to South Africa. The main populations are found in the Serengeti-Mara plains in Tanzania and Kenya.

They particularly favor open environments such as open plains, open forests, or bushy areas. Even though they can be found in hilly and mountainous landscapes up to 4,000 meters in altitude, they generally avoid dense forests, deserts, and wet areas as much as possible.

Zebras are herbivorous animals, mostly grazers. They mainly eat grasses but can also consume leaves and stems. The grass is taken with the help of the lower incisors and the upper lip.

They travel an average of 13 kilometers daily to reach resting, feeding, and fresh water areas. Having a great need for water, they hardly ever move more than 10 km away from a water source during the dry season.

Depending on the seasons and food availability, harems gather to form large herds in order to undertake long migrations of nearly 3,000 kilometers.

Zebras play an important role in the stability and dynamics of pastoral communities. Indeed, their migrations, trampling, and feeding help stimulate the growth of young shoots and increase the quality and quantity of vegetation.

The predators of zebras are lions, spotted hyenas, wild dogs, cheetahs, leopards, and Nile crocodiles. The stallion defends the group with kicks, hoof strikes, and bites. At night, at least one individual stands guard. They can also rely on their stripes, which provide better camouflage at night and confuse predators. The mass of striped patterns makes it harder to single out a particular individual within the group. This delay gives zebras an advantage when fleeing, where they can even reach speeds of 88 km/h.

Plains zebras have a polygynous reproductive system, which means that one male mates with several females. Males form harems, and there doesn’t seem to be competition between males—once a female is with a male, no one else will try to take her. At the first estrus, young females signal to the males their availability for reproduction through urine and a particular posture. From then on, males attempt to “take” the mare from her birth group. They try to attract her using grooming to bring her into the harem. This is the only time when there is competition between males. It is also on this occasion that a single male can start to form his own harem.

Plains zebras can reproduce throughout the year, but there appears to be a birth peak in the rainy season between October and March. The gestation period is about 12 months, and the female gives birth to one foal at a time. Birth happens away from the group, well hidden from predators. The foal weighs on average 32 kilograms at birth, stands on its legs after 10-15 minutes, and is able to follow its mother a few hours after birth. Ten days after giving birth, the female comes into heat again and 50% of them are fertilized again. This phenomenon is known as “foal heat.” It is therefore not unusual to observe a female with two foals at the same time.

The foal suckles from its mother until it is 7 to 11 months old and becomes independent at around 1 to 3 years old, when they leave the group. Unfortunately, only one out of two foals survives, due to predation, disease, malnutrition, or drought.

Even though sexual maturity occurs between 1.5 and 2 years, they only begin to reproduce around age 4.

It is not uncommon to observe cases of infanticide or foeticide in plains zebras. In fact, when a male takes control of a harem, it is common for him to kill young foals and force the females to abort through forced copulation, in order to only invest energy and parental care in his own offspring.

The average lifespan is 20 years in the wild, while in captivity they can live up to 40 years.

Plains zebras are social animals that live in harems consisting of an adult male, called the stallion, one to six females, the mares, and their young. The females form the base of the group and stay together no matter what, even when the stallion leaves the group. There is a hierarchy within the harem with the male at the top, followed by the females, then the young. The rank of the foals depends on that of their mother.

The young stay in their birth group until roughly 1 to 4 years old. The males then join bachelor groups, which can be composed of up to about fifteen members.

The need for fresh water and pasture forces zebras to migrate over hundreds of kilometers every year. At this time, harems gather into vast herds. Blue wildebeest and gazelles also join them. Together, they undertake the largest terrestrial migration in the world, during which they move nearly 3,000 kilometers between the Serengeti in Tanzania and the Masai Mara in Kenya.

Among zebras, there is a social grooming practice called allogrooming, which involves maintaining the body or appearance of others of the same species, and it is practiced especially between the mother and the foal and between the male and the females. This grooming is performed by two individuals standing head to tail to eliminate parasites such as flies.

At least six vocalizations have been recorded in plains zebras: three to alert of danger, one for injuries, one in case of distress, and one for contact between members of the same species. Communication is also carried out through facial expressions, scents, and contact.

Currently the IUCN classifies the plains zebra as near threatened. Unfortunately, populations are impacted by habitat loss and illegal hunting.

Agriculture destroys grazing areas and blocks migrations.

Even though it is illegal, hunting for skin and meat is still practiced and causes a decrease in the population.