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The Zebra
Sep 2, 2025
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This week's spotlight animal is a
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classic African species known for its
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distinctive black and white stripes.
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It's the zebra.
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Malcolm Walker here once again on Wild
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but True. Zebras are found in grasslands
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and savas across Africa from the Sahel
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in the north to South Africa in the
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South. There are three species of zebra.
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The plain zebra, the mountain zebra, and
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the gravies zebra. And each zebra stripe
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pattern is as unique as a fingerprint.
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No two zebras have the same stripes.
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Plain zebras live in large herds that
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can number in the thousands. They spend
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their days looking for food and their
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nights sleeping with their herd for
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safety. They mostly eat grass, but they
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will also eat leaves, bark, and fruit.
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Sometimes zebras will purposely uproot
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plants that they want to eat, and they
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use their strong, sharp hooves to dig up
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bulbs and tubers. Plain zebras are
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active throughout the year, and they
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don't really have a particular mating
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season. Females will give birth to one
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fo after a gestation period of around 12
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to 13 months. Fos can run within minutes
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of being born and they stay with the
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herd for their entire lives. Plain
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zebras are social animals and they
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communicate with each other using a
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variety of vocalizations.
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They are most active at dawn and dusk
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when they are most likely to be seen by
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predators. To keep an eye out for
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danger, each zebra has a personal
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lookout, a special job that rotates
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throughout the herd. When there is
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danger, the lookout will bark and the
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herd will run away. Predators such as
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lions, hyenas, and wild dogs try to hunt
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zebras, but zebras are fast and can
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outrun most predators. They are also
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agile and can easily escape by running
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in circles. Their speed and agility make
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them difficult prey. And sometimes when
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a zebra kicks, it can send a lion flying
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through the air. Zebras will also group
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with wilderbeast. This gives them more
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eyes to detect predators. There is
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safety in numbers and it is better to
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have more lookouts keeping an eye out
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for danger. Mountain zebras are found in
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the mountains of eastern and southern
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Africa. They prefer hilly, rocky areas
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with lots of vegetation. Mountain zebras
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are smaller than plain zebras and they
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have thicker fur. This helps keep them
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warm in the cold mountain climates.
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Mountain zebras are more elusive than
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plain zebras and they are less studied.
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So, we don't know a lot about their
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behavior, but we think that they are
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mostly active during the day, and they
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spend their nights sleeping with their
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mates. Mountain zebras are also
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browsers, but they spend a lot of time
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looking for green shoots and leaves.
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They're also known for their
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intelligence and their ability to adapt
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to different environments. In some areas
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where both mountain and plain zebras
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live, mountain zebras will sometimes
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steal food from plain zebras. The
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largest of the three species is gravy
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zebra. They are found in dry open
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grasslands and they prefer areas with
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scattered trees.
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Like other zebras, they are prayed upon
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by lions, hyenas, and wild dogs. But in
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some areas, they also have to defend
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themselves against crocodiles and male
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lions. Sometimes gr zebras will form
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loose groups with other herbivores,
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including impala, warthogs, and even
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giraffes. If you were to see a zebra
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standing next to a giraffe, it would be
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easy to assume that the zebra is the
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smaller one, but in reality, the giraffe
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is the tall one. Which zebra is your
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favorite? Let us know in the comments
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below. And don't forget to stay tuned
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for more fun animal videos. See you next
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time.
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