Plains zebra
- Burchell's zebra collectively protects newborns from predators by hiding them in the herd and drawing attention from all individuals. Mortality of foals from lion and hyena attacks reaches 50%.
- First mating in Burchell's zebra occurs no earlier than 2–2.5 years, and the first foal is born no earlier than 3–3.5 years. Females cannot give birth before reaching this age.
- The female Burchell's zebra keeps the foal at a distance of 3 m for the first 2–3 days so it memorizes her stripe pattern. This helps it distinguish her from other zebras.
- Burchell's zebra is born heavy, weighing up to 30 kg, and stands on its own within 10–15 minutes. Within 30–45 minutes it covers noticeable distances and starts suckling the mother within an hour.
- Stripe pattern of Burchell's zebra varies individually and geographically, helping to identify 6 subspecies. Northern subspecies have clearer stripes covering the whole body, while southern ones have wider stripes that partially lighten.
- The plains zebra inhabits areas with tall grass, expanding its range compared to other zebras. It is the first to colonize tall grasslands, followed by gazelles, gnus, kobus, oryxes, and other antelopes.
- After mating with a bachelor stallion, the female Burchell's zebra returns to her herd. This happens even if the bachelor stallion drives her away.
- Each individual Burchell's zebra has a unique stripe pattern, like human fingerprints. Stripes on the front part of the body are vertical, while on the rump they are closer to longitudinal.
- Burchell's zebra foals are born mainly during the rainy season, with 2/3 of foals in Ngorongoro Conservation Area born between January and March, and only 1/10 during the dry season. Gestation lasts 346–390 days, averaging 370 days.
Age
The species typically lives for twenty to twenty-five years, with a maximum lifespan of thirty-eight years and a theoretical lifespan ranging from fifteen years and one month to thirty-seven years and three months. Sexual maturity is reached between one year and ten months and three years and one month. The young are born with their eyes open and begin walking immediately. During the embryonic stage, the developing offspring receives all nutrients via the placenta and does not feed independently. The foal, or young, drinks its mother's milk for the first six months before gradually transitioning to grass and quickly stands and runs; this stage lasts from one day to two years. The adult stage begins at two years and continues for up to thirty years and two months, during which the animal is capable of reproduction and lives in a herd.
Phenotype
The embryo has a placenta that connects the developing offspring to the mother and transmits nourishment. The young have long legs, allowing them to run quickly within hours of birth, and possess a short mane along the neck, as well as black and white stripes covering their bodies from birth, which aid in camouflage. Common zebras have four legs with hard hooves, enabling swift running and movement across grass; the adult has a short, stiff mane that stands vertically, and a long tail with a tuft at the end to deter insects. Each individual displays a unique pattern of black and white stripes, confusing lions during attacks and assisting in recognizing members of the herd. The species also possesses strong molars for grinding tough grasses.
Physiology
The common zebra has a body height of 1.35 meters, with body length ranging from 2 to 2.6 meters, and a mass between 155.55 kilograms and 0.28 metric tons; the embryo stage exhibits a body mass from 1 gram to 35 kilograms and a body length from 1 centimeter to 1 meter, while the young have a body mass ranging from 30 to 180 kilograms and a body length from 1 to 1.8 meters; the adult common zebras possess a body mass from 175 kilograms to 0.32 metric tons, and a body length from 2 to 2.6 meters.
Habitat
The species inhabits altitudes up to 2 kilometers. Common zebras occupy tropical savannas characterized by heat, uneven rainfall, and abundant grass and trees, as well as temperate steppes with plentiful grass and few trees where rain occurs. The landscape includes dry land, terrestrial meadows and steppes, terrestrial herbaceous areas, terrestrial tidal zones, and scrubland. Climates vary, including hot steppes with very hot, dry summers and abundant grass, extremely dry conditions with infrequent rainfall resembling a desert, winters with little precipitation and more rain in summer, hot conditions with few winter rains and frequent summer rains, and consistently hot temperatures throughout the year with frequent rainfall but occasional dryness.
Shelter
The plains zebra inhabits open savanna and has no permanent or long-term shelter. The species does not have a fixed shelter and uses grasses and reeds for sleeping and resting.
Geography
The plains zebra is found within the Afrotropical realm and occupies several ecosystems, including Somali acacia-commiphora scrublands and woodlands, southern acacia-commiphora thickets and shrublands, the West Congo forest-savanna, the Limpopo lowveld, the Kalahari xerophytic savanna, and acacia forests of the Kalahari.
Feeding
The plains zebra feeds on grass and spends many hours each day eating plants, obtaining food by grazing and nipping at grass. Its diet consists of grasses, cereals, sedges, leaves of shrubs, grass, reeds, and grain. The species employs a grazing feeding strategy and consumes between 5 kilograms and 12 kilograms of food daily. Young zebras feed on milk. Predators that hunt the species include panthers, true crocodiles, and spotted hyenas. In some cultures, the animal is eaten, but it is not considered kosher.
Reproduction
The species develops from an embryo for 1 year and gives birth to a single offspring; the female carries the foal for about 12 months. The young are born live on land and are well-developed, able to run behind their mother shortly after birth. Reproduction always occurs through sexual reproduction, without alternation of generations. The species inhabits and develops on land, outside of bodies of water, and nests are built on or near the ground. The nest is located directly on the surface of the ground. Only the mother displays parental care for the young in the terrestrial nest. The interval between reproduction is from 1 year to 2 years 2 months. Maturity occurs from 2 years to 5 years. The female has one offspring per litter.