Zebra 

Country of Origin:  An ancient species known as Equus found their way to Africa about 4 million years ago and the zebra evolved there. 

Development of the Zebra: Over 60 million years of environmental changes caused several species to evolve from a small, grazing mammal that looked more like a fox than a horse. We call it the Echippus hynacotherium. As it evolved, many species formed and then became extinct. Some species adapted to the environmental changes and one of these species is the Equus.  At first they were small and stood only about 13.2 HH but they had classic horse features. Then about 2.5 million years ago some of them crossed to the Old World and arrived in central Africa. These Equus developed into the zebra; those that went to North Africa and Asia developed into onagers and asses; and the ones that went to Europe, Asia, and the Middle East eventually evolved into our modern horse. 

The Zebra Family: The zebra family has three types of zebras: the Grevy’s zebra, the plains zebra, and the mountain zebra. Each type of zebra can be identified by its unique stripe pattern, size, and where it lives. Then within each stripe pattern, each zebra has its own pattern of stripes. This is said to help the offspring identify its mother. It has also helped researchers keep track of and study specific animals over long periods of time.  

Grevy’s Zebra: Grevy’s zebra is the largest body type in the zebra family. They live in Northern Kenya. Their coat pattern is made up of narrow black and white stripes that go all over the body and down to the hooves; a white belly, and a dorsal stripe with a white line running along either side of it; the body stripes run up into the stand-up mane; the mane is black-tipped. The head is large; the legs are long; and the ears are large and rounded. The Grevy’s zebra brays like a donkey. The gestation period for the Grevy’s zebra is 13 months.  

The Plains Zebra: The plains zebra is smaller and sturdier than the Grevy’s zebra. They live in Southern and Eastern Africa. There were several subspecies of plains zebras. The Grant’s zebra is the most common. They have broader black and white stripes that cover the body and meet under the belly. They make a noise that sounds almost like a bark. Another subspecies is the Chapman’s zebra which have wide black stripes that alternate with a lighter gray stripe; they have no stripes on the legs; on the hindquarters their stripes fade to a solid brown. Two other subspecies, the quagga and the Burchell zebra, are extinct.    

The Mountain Zebra: The Mountain zebra can be identified by its dewlap. It is seen most readily on the males. The dewlap is a flap of skin on the throat. The Mountain zebra is an endangered species due to excessive hunting.