In riddles, this animal is called a "horse in a sailor suit." The answer is known even to the smallest children who have ever been to a zoo where a zebra lives. She looks pretty friendly, but do not try to pet her: her temper is quite wild, and her teeth are strong. Obviously, the zoo is not a natural habitat for this interesting animal. How and where does a zebra live? What does she eat? What are the features? Read the answers to these and other questions.
Sunny Tiger Horse
Once the historian Cassius Dion in his famous "Roman History" mentioned the following: Septimius Severus, at that time the emperor of Rome, ordered to catch some solar horses for the circus, which are covered with stripes, like tigers. The annals of history also indicate that later the son of Septimius killed one of the horses during the arena battles. An unknown animal was called a "hippo-tiger."
Today it is quite clear what kind of tiger was meant. The prefix "hippo" means "horse." The ancient Romans well noticed the similarities: the zebra really belongs to the equine family. True, on closer inspection, it is more like a donkey - long ears, stiff protruding mane, massive legs. Where the zebra lives, the harsh climate and many predators, therefore, such features help her survive: the length of her ears speaks for sensitive hearing, the mane will not interfere with running, and strong legs will quickly overcome kilometers.
Habitat
The area where zebras live is quite wide and depends on one or another species of animal. There are desert, mountain and lowland zebra. The former live in dry savannahs (Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya), the latter can be found in Namibia and South Africa. Plains prefer savannahs of Sudan, Ethiopia and East Africa.
The soil in the savannah is poor in nutrients, so the main vegetation is undersized trees, shrubs and grass, which make up the diet of animals. Between the rainy seasons, the land dries up, so striped horses must always be near a watering hole. During the day they can cover significant distances, up to 50 km, but always return to their native place. If there is no water nearby, the zebra will dig a pit-well with its hoofs. Fine sense of smell helps determine the exact location.
Together more fun
No matter where the zebra lives and what species it belongs to, it is a herd animal. In the group there are about 10-15 goals, in large herds they stray in front of a long road. At the head of a male, the rest are females and cubs. The composition is permanent, you can recognize each other by drawing. Responsibilities in the group are clearly distributed. So, animals go to a watering place in a certain order: first the most experienced female, then the foals are older. At the end the male walks. There are also “guards”: when the herd is sleeping, two zebras remain on their feet in order to warn about the threat in time. Newborn babies are very independent: they begin to walk almost immediately after birth. But they know for sure that losing sight of mom is not safe.
Zebras are “friends” with giraffes, ostriches, gazelles. Together it is easier to resist the predator, in addition, giraffes can spot the enemy from afar.
Black or white?
Black and white striped color is the most striking feature of the animal. An interesting fact: the stripes of a zebra are fingerprints for a person: it will not work to find two completely identical drawings.
Because of the unusual coloring in the scientific world, even at the end of the 19th century there was a dispute: some believed that the zebra was black and covered with white stripes, others claimed that the animal was light in black stripes. A reasonable opinion was voiced by Walter Johnson, a British naturalist. He suggested: since the ancient ancestor of the zebra is a horse, and all the ancient horses were of a dark color (white spots appeared and extended during evolution), then the zebra should be considered black with white stripes. More than one author has quoted this idea later.
What are the stripes for? The answer will tell the zone of the subequator where the zebra lives - the savannah. There are practically no bushes and trees, and it is very difficult to hide. In such conditions, the color of the zebra is an excellent disguise. They easily merge with long striped grass. Insects (for example, tsetse fly) respond well to a solid color, but they do not notice a heterogeneous one. Zebras in the herd merge into one huge black and white spot, this is able to disorient the predator.
On the verge of extinction
Unfortunately, the beautiful color of the animal became fatal for him. An amazing view - quagga - was exterminated at the end of the XIX century. The sturdy hide of these equids made them the primary target of hunters.
The number of Grevy's zebras is rapidly declining. They decorate their homes with unusual skins, the number of watering places decreases, pastures grow, while Grevy prefers to eat hard grass. Effective conservation measures are being taken by animal advocates in Kenya: they are transported from arid areas to national parks and reserves. Places where zebras live today: Amboseli Park in Kenya, Chester Zoo (England), Saisambu Nature Reserve (Nakuru). In the international Red Book, Grevy is placed in the endangered category, but there is hope that the amazing appearance will continue.