Stripes, Stripes, and More Stripes!

I am deeply sorry this took so long again... don't even mention the one week delay...

So the first African Migration post is finally here! After much, much delay, you will finally get to learn more about my favorite animal of all time--the zebra! Enjoy reading facts about zebras you've never known before, and have fun playing the challenge game at the end of the post.

Zebras

Courtesy: National Geographic MyShot (by Owain Evans)

Classification: Mammal (Equine/Equidae)
Size: 3.5-5 ft/1.1-1.5 m (at the shoulder)
Weight: 440-990 lb/200-459 kg
Diet: Herbivore (only plants)
Lifespan: 25 yrs in the wild
Appearance: A white horse with vertical black stripes, black mane. Thickness of stripes may vary in different subspecies.
Status: Plains Zebra They're good! 

Mountain Zebra Vulnerable

Grevy's ZebraEndangered! They need help! 



Since zebras are very wide-known animals, I won't mention the general facts that everyone already knows (such as they live in Africa, etc.) I will mainly focus on the unique characteristics that set zebras apart from other animals, and a brief description of each subspecies.

Zebras are horses with stripes. Aren't they? Not completely! OK, well yes, they kind of are. But what makes them different from horses is also their herd personality and human-like way of showing their love and compassion in times of danger.

Plains Zebra

Courtesy: San Diego Zoo Animals

Plains zebras are probably the most well known of all zebras. They are the zebras you see in computer wallpapers and advertisements, etc. This is because there are so many! This species is not at all close to extinction. Their unique characteristic is that their stripes are very thick and not all all hypnotizing or have that "dizzy" effect. Their stripes start extending horizontally starting at the end of the waist. They also have "shadows" between their thick black stripes on their coat--a thin strip of grey, like watery ink. Their mane is also striped, like their coat.

Mountain Zebra

Courtesy: San Diego Zoo Animals

Probably the least seen zebra, this mountain subspecies has a little lump of loose skin--or dewlap--similar to an Adam's apple. Their stripes are vertical on the torso and neck, stretch out to become wider horizontal stripes near the haunches. Their mane, too, is striped. However, they do not have the stripe shadow like Plains zebras. Another unique characteristic is that their stripes end around the belly (while the Plains zebras' stripes extend past their belly)

Grevy's Zebra

Courtesy: San Diego Zoo Animals

Courtesy: San Diego Zoo Animals

The Grevy's Zebra is the most endangered of all the zebras. They are officially listed as "endangered" under the Federal list and National Geographic. This type of zebra may be the most recognizable, because their stripes are so thin and many that the first impression most tourists get is "dizzy!" This particular subspecies is actually slightly larger than the Mountain and Plains zebra. Their long, round ears and thicker neck sometimes make them look like striped donkeys or mules.

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Zebras have two natural responses to predator attacks: Fight or Flight (according to Animals Mom.Me) Of course, their first option would be to flee. However, if a herd member were injured or they were cornered, flight would not be realistically possible. Their second option would be fight. This is when their hooves come in handy. The herd's primary responsibility at this point would be to protect their young, similar to what us humans would do. Multiple females would come together and kick their hooves up to drive away the predator. Even if the mare is not the baby's mother, they will do their best to keep the foal alive, and bring them back to their family. As a last resort, or if a herd member(s) is badly injured, the entire herd will circle around the injured zebra to act as a barrier and try to scare/drive away the predator. Amazing! (Unfortunately I do not have a video of this that I can share...)

So now that you know more about what characteristics set certain subspecies of zebras apart from others, let's play a game! I'll give you a picture of a zebra, and you have to figure out which species it is. There will be some hints here and there to help you! (Answers are at the bottom of the post, below the blog post sources)

1. Courtesy: HorseTalk
Hint: Are its stripes thin or thick? Are its ears round?

2. Courtesy: Wikipedia
Hint: Look at its neck; what characteristic is this?

3. Courtesy: BiodiversityExplorer
Hint: Look at the background behind the foal!

4. Courtesy: FunMozar
Hint: Look near the haunches--any unique stripe characteristics?

Sources:

http://animals.mom.me/zebra-protect-its-younger-ones-8176.html

http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/zebra

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/zebra/

Game answers:

1. Grevy's Zebra: Round ears, Thin & many stripes

2. Mountain Zebra: Dewlap (loose skin lump) on neck

3. Plains Zebra: Strip shadows, thick stripes

4. Plains Zebra: Stripe shadows

How did the game go? Did you do well? If you did, great job! If not, then look back at the description I gave for each subspecies and match them with each picture. Still confused? Search the internet! San Diego Zoo Animals (Zebras: http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/zebra) is a great source for species clarification and anything you want to know, but I didn't cover. 

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Just like I did with the Australian theme, please leave your comments below on what you want to see next on WeForWildlife! Any animals you'd like me to cover, or particular stories you want to share with me, you are welcome to leave in the comments. If you would like to contact me personally, please see my contact info under the Contact Tab or email me at weforwildlife.c@gmail.com. 

See y'all next time!