Zebra Harem
Wild South Africa
Kruger National Park
Zebras belong to the genus Equus which also includes horses and asses. In sub-Saharan Africa there are three main zebra species, Plains zebra, Grevy's zebra and Mountain zebra. A fourth species, the quagga, became extinct over 100 years ago.
The Plains zebra have several sub-species, of which the Burchell's zebra is the type seen in the Kruger National Park bushveld. Burchell's zebra is named after the British botanist and naturalist William John Burchell.
Every zebra has a stripe pattern which is as unique as a fingerprint. The Burchell's zebra, with its pale shadow stripe between the dark black and white, has vertical stripes on the front half of the body, and horizontal stripes on the back half. One theory is that the striping pattern, which also allows zebras to recognize each other, may afford them some camouflage. In the low light of dusk and dawn, the time of greatest predator activity, the patterning makes their outline indistinct, allowing them to blend into the background. It is also thought that the blurring of stripes in a herd of running zebra makes it difficult for predators to focus on a single animal within the group.
Plains zebras are social animals, often seen standing nose to tail mutually grooming each other. They live in small family groups known as harems. Each harem is led by one stallion controlling a few mares and their foals. Even when zebras join to form large herds, these family groupings remain intact. Until they are of the age to form their own harem, young males, which leave the herd at adolescence, tend to live alone or in small bachelor groups. These young, strong males sometimes become harem stallions by abducting females in oestrus.
Info obtainend from SabiSabi's website.
Zebra Harem
Wild South Africa
Kruger National Park
Zebras belong to the genus Equus which also includes horses and asses. In sub-Saharan Africa there are three main zebra species, Plains zebra, Grevy's zebra and Mountain zebra. A fourth species, the quagga, became extinct over 100 years ago.
The Plains zebra have several sub-species, of which the Burchell's zebra is the type seen in the Kruger National Park bushveld. Burchell's zebra is named after the British botanist and naturalist William John Burchell.
Every zebra has a stripe pattern which is as unique as a fingerprint. The Burchell's zebra, with its pale shadow stripe between the dark black and white, has vertical stripes on the front half of the body, and horizontal stripes on the back half. One theory is that the striping pattern, which also allows zebras to recognize each other, may afford them some camouflage. In the low light of dusk and dawn, the time of greatest predator activity, the patterning makes their outline indistinct, allowing them to blend into the background. It is also thought that the blurring of stripes in a herd of running zebra makes it difficult for predators to focus on a single animal within the group.
Plains zebras are social animals, often seen standing nose to tail mutually grooming each other. They live in small family groups known as harems. Each harem is led by one stallion controlling a few mares and their foals. Even when zebras join to form large herds, these family groupings remain intact. Until they are of the age to form their own harem, young males, which leave the herd at adolescence, tend to live alone or in small bachelor groups. These young, strong males sometimes become harem stallions by abducting females in oestrus.
Info obtainend from SabiSabi's website.