Zebra From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page semi-protected For other uses, see Zebra (disambiguation).

Zebras Plains zebra (Equus quagga) Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Perissodactyla Family: Equidae Genus: Equus Subgenus: Hippotigris and Dolichohippus Species Equus zebra Equus quagga Equus grevyi See here for subspecies. Zebras (/'z?br?/ zeb-r? or /'zi?br?/ zee-br?)[1] are several species of African equids (horse family) united by their distinctive black and white stripes. Their stripes come in different patterns, unique to each individual. They are general ly social animals that live in small harems to large herds. Unlike their closest relatives, horses and donkeys, zebras have never been truly domesticated. There are three species of zebras: the plains zebra, the Grvy's zebra and the mou ntain zebra. The plains zebra and the mountain zebra belong to the subgenus Hipp otigris, but Grvy's zebra is the sole species of subgenus Dolichohippus. The latt er resembles an ass, to which it is closely related, while the former two are mo re horse-like. All three belong to the genus Equus, along with other living equi ds. The unique stripes of zebras make them one of the animals most familiar to peopl e. They occur in a variety of habitats, such as grasslands, savannas, woodlands, thorny scrublands, mountains, and coastal hills. However, various anthropogenic factors have had a severe impact on zebra populations, in particular hunting fo r skins and habitat destruction. Grvy's zebra and the mountain zebra are endanger ed. While plains zebras are much more plentiful, one subspecies, the quagga, bec ame extinct in the late 19th century though there is currently a plan, called th e Quagga Project, that aims to breed zebras that are phenotypically similar to t he quagga in a process called breeding back. Contents [hide] 1 Etymology 2 Taxonomy and evolution 2.1 Classification 3 Physical attributes 3.1 Size and weight 3.2 Stripes 3.3 Gaits 3.4 Senses 3.5 Diseases 4 Ecology and behavior 4.1 Harems 4.2 Communication 4.3 Food and foraging 4.4 Reproduction

5 Interaction with humans 5.1 Domestication 5.2 Conservation 5.3 Cultural depictions 5.4 Biofuel 6 See also 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External links Etymology The name "zebra" in English dates back to c.1600, from Italian zebra, perhaps fr om Portuguese, which in turn is said to be Congolese (as stated in the Oxford En glish Dictionary). The Encarta Dictionary says its ultimate origin is uncertain, but perhaps it may come from Latin equiferus meaning "wild horse"; from equus ( "horse") and ferus ("wild, untamed"). The word was traditionally pronounced with a long initial vowel, but over the course of the twentieth century, a vowel shi ft occurred in England, leading to the modern UK and Commonwealth pronunciation with a short initial vowel.[2] The pronunciation with a long initial vowel remai ns standard in the United States. Taxonomy and evolution See also: Horse evolution Zebras in Mikumi, Tanzania Zebras evolved among the Old World horses within the last 4 million years. Grvy's zebras (and perhaps also Mountain Zebras) are, together with asses and donkeys, in a separate lineage from other zebra lineages.[3] This means either that stri ped equids evolved more than once, or that common ancestors of zebras and asses were striped and only zebras retained the stripes. Extensive stripes are posited to have been of little use to equids that live in low densities in deserts (lik e asses and some horses) or ones that live in colder climates with shaggy coats and annual shading (like some horses).[4] Fossils of an ancient equid were discovered in the Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument in Hagerman, Idaho. It was named the Hagerman horse with a scientific name of Equus simplicidens. It is believed to have been similar to the Grvy's zeb ra.[5] The animals had stocky zebra-like bodies and short, narrow, donkey-like s kulls.[6] Grvy's zebra also has a donkeylike skull. The Hagerman horse is also ca lled the American zebra or Hagerman zebra. Classification Zebras in Botswana There are three extant species. Collectively, two of the species have eight subs pecies (seven extant). Zebra populations are diverse, and the relationships betw een, and the taxonomic status of, several of the subspecies are not well known. Genus: Equus Subgenus: Hippotigris Plains zebra, Equus quagga Quagga, Equus quagga quagga (extinct) Burchell's zebra, Equus quagga burchellii (includes Damara Zebra) Grant's zebra, Equus quagga boehmi Selous' zebra, Equus quagga borensis Chapman's zebra, Equus quagga chapmani Crawshay's zebra, Equus quagga crawshayi

Mountain zebra, Equus zebra Cape mountain zebra, Equus zebra zebra Hartmann's mountain zebra, Equus zebra hartmannae Subgenus: Dolichohippus Grvy's zebra, Equus grevyi An albino zebra in captivity The plains zebra (Equus quagga, formerly Equus burchelli) is the most common, an d has or had about six subspecies distributed across much of southern and easter n Africa. It, or particular subspecies of it, have also been known as the common zebra, the dauw, Burchell's zebra (actually the subspecies Equus quagga burchel lii), Chapman's zebra, Wahlberg's zebra, Selous' zebra, Grant's zebra, Boehm's z ebra and the quagga (another extinct subspecies, Equus quagga quagga). The mountain zebra (Equus zebra) of southwest Africa tends to have a sleek coat with a white belly and narrower stripes than the plains Zebra. It has two subspe cies and is classified as vulnerable. Grvy's zebra (Equus grevyi) is the largest type, with a long, narrow head, making it appear rather mule-like. It is an inhabitant of the semi-arid grasslands of Ethiopia and northern Kenya. Grvy's zebra is the rarest species, and is classifie d as endangered. Although zebra species may have overlapping ranges, they do not interbreed. In c aptivity, plains zebras have been crossed with mountain zebras. The hybrid foals lacked a dewlap and resembled the plains zebra apart from their larger ears and their hindquarters pattern. Attempts to breed a Grvy's zebra stallion to mountai n zebra mares resulted in a high rate of miscarriage. In captivity, crosses betw een zebras and other (non-zebra) equines have produced several distinct hybrids, including the zebroid, zeedonk, zony, and zorse. In certain regions of Kenya, p lains zebras and Grvy's Zebra coexist, and fertile hybrids occur.[7] Physical attributes Size and weight The common plains zebra is about 50 52 inches (12.2 13 hands, 1.3 m) at the shoulder with a body ranging from 6 8.5 feet (2 2.6 m) long with an 18-inch (0.5 m) tail. It can weigh up to 770 pounds (350 kg), males being slightly bigger than females. Grvy's Zebra is considerably larger, while the mountain zebra is somewhat smaller .[8] Stripes It was previously believed that zebras were white animals with black stripes, si nce some zebras have white underbellies. Embryological evidence, however, shows that the animal's background color is black and the white stripes and bellies ar e additions.[4] It is likely that the stripes are caused by a combination of fac tors.[9] The stripes are typically vertical on the head, neck, forequarters, and main bod y, with horizontal stripes at the rear and on the legs of the animal. The "zebra crossing" is named after the zebra's black and white stripes. A wide variety of hypotheses have been proposed to account for the evolution of the striking stripes of zebras. The more traditional of these (1 and 2, below) r elate to camouflage. 1. The vertical striping may help the zebra hide in grass by disrupting its outl ine. In addition, even at moderate distances, the striking striping merges to an apparent grey.

2. The stripes may help to confuse predators by motion dazzle a group of zebras st anding or moving close together may appear as one large mass of flickering strip es, making it more difficult for the lion to pick out a target.[10] 3. The stripes may serve as visual cues and identification.[4] Although the stri ping pattern is unique to each individual, it is not known whether zebras can re cognize one another by their stripes.

Zebra in Ngorongoro: its pattern may reduce its attractiveness to large biting f lies. 4. Experiments by different researchers indicate that the stripes are effective in attracting fewer flies, including blood-sucking tsetse flies and tabanid hors eflies.[9][11] A 2012 experiment in Hungary showed that zebra-striped models wer e nearly minimally attractive to tabanid horseflies. These flies are attracted t o linearly polarized light, and the study showed that black and white stripes di srupt the attractive pattern. Further, attractiveness increases with stripe widt h, so the relatively narrow stripes of the three living species of zebras should be unattractive to horseflies.[12][13] Gaits Like horses, zebras walk, trot, canter and gallop. They are generally slower tha n horses, but their great stamina helps them outpace predators. When chased, a z ebra will zig-zag from side to side, making it more difficult for the predator. When cornered, the zebra will rear up and kick or bite its attacker. Senses Zebras have excellent eyesight. It is believed that they can see in color.[citat ion needed] Like most ungulates, the zebra has its eyes on the sides of its head , giving it a wide field of view. Zebras also have night vision, although not as advanced as that of most of their predators. Zebras have excellent hearing, and tend to have larger, rounder ears than horses . Like horses and other ungulates, zebras can turn their ears in almost any dire ction. In addition to eyesight and hearing, zebras have an acute sense of smell and taste. Diseases Being an equid, Zebras are subject to many of the common diseases of the domesti c horse. Parasites: Equid intestinal roundworms parascaris sp. and strongylus vulgaris Roundworms of the lungs Botfly larvae in the stomach Lice Mange Ticks, which can serve as vectors for other diseases such as Babesia Salmonella bacterial infection of the intestine Pneumonia and pleuritis Acute heart lesions due to stress Tetanus and anthrax: In northern Kenya in 2005 2006, an outbreak of anthrax affect ed Grevy's Zebra; 53 Grevy's and 26 Plains Zebras died. 620 Grevy's Zebras were vaccinated to halt the spread.[citation needed] Two Grevy's Zebras were poisoned in 1995 by leaves of a hybrid red maple tree (a cer rubrum) at the St. Louis Zoo. Horses were first reported in 1981 to be susce ptible; even small amounts of red maple leaves can be toxic to ponies. In 2000 a zebra was first reported infected with a nematode, halicephalobus, known to inf

ect horses and usually associated with decaying plant material.[14] Ecology and behavior Question book-new.svg This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this s ection by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challe nged and removed. (March 2013) Harems Zebras in Tanzania Like most members of the horse family, zebras are highly social. Their social st ructure, however, depends on the species. Mountain zebras and plains zebras live in groups, known as 'harems', consisting of one stallion with up to six mares a nd their foals. Bachelor males either live alone or with groups of other bachelo rs until they are old enough to challenge a breeding stallion. When attacked by packs of hyenas or wild dogs a zebra group will huddle together with the foals i n the middle while the stallion tries to ward them off. Unlike the other zebra species, Grvy's zebras do not have permanent social bonds. A group of these zebras rarely stays together for more than a few months. The f oals stay with their mothers, while adult males live alone. Like the other two z ebra species, bachelor male zebras will organize in groups. Like horses, zebras sleep standing up, and only sleep when neighbors are around to warn them of predators. Communication A zebra feeding on grass Zebras communicate with each other with high pitched barks and whinnying. Grvy's zebras make mulelike brays. A zebra's ears signify its mood. When a zebra is in a calm, tense or friendly mood, its ears stand erect. When it is frightened, its ears are pushed forward. When angry, the ears are pulled backward. When surveyi ng an area for predators, zebras will stand in an alert posture; with ears erect , head held high, and staring. When tense they will also snort. When a predator is spotted or sensed, a zebra will bark (or bray) loudly. File:Mountain zebra -uenozoo2010.ogv Hartmann's Mountain Zebra with a Barbary sheep behind it, in captivity at Ueno Z oo, in Japan. (video) Food and foraging Zebras feed almost entirely on grasses, but may occasionally eat shrubs, herbs, twigs, leaves and bark. Their digestive systems allow them to subsist on diets o f lower nutritional quality than that necessary for other herbivores. Reproduction Female zebras mature earlier than the males, and a mare may have her first foal by the age of three. Males are not able to breed until the age of five or six. M ares may give birth to one foal every twelve months. She nurses the foal for up to a year. Like horses, zebras are able to stand, walk and suckle shortly after they are born. A zebra foal is brown and white instead of black and white at bir th. Plains and mountain zebra foals are protected by their mothers, as well as the h ead stallion and the other mares in their group. Grvy's zebra foals have only the ir mother as a regular protector, since, as noted above, Grvy's zebra groups ofte

n disband after a few months.