Fighting Zebra Stallions
Wild South Africa
Kruger National Park
Zebras are generally thought of as peaceful animals but fights for dominance between stallions can be savage, with tails being bitten off, bones broken and some fights even going to the death. A male zebra walking around with only a stump for a tail may well be presumed to have lost it to a large predator, but the most likely culprit is in fact another zebra. They have fiercely sharp teeth, and a well-placed nip from a strong jaw can easily result in the loss of a tail, or at least a portion of it.
The two seen her were probably testing each other as a prelude to striking out and attempting to win females of their own.
Best viewed enlarged
Fighting Zebra Stallions
Wild South Africa
Kruger National Park
Zebras are generally thought of as peaceful animals but fights for dominance between stallions can be savage, with tails being bitten off, bones broken and some fights even going to the death. A male zebra walking around with only a stump for a tail may well be presumed to have lost it to a large predator, but the most likely culprit is in fact another zebra. They have fiercely sharp teeth, and a well-placed nip from a strong jaw can easily result in the loss of a tail, or at least a portion of it.
The two seen her were probably testing each other as a prelude to striking out and attempting to win females of their own.
Best viewed enlarged