Africa's Endangered animals
The Mountain Zebra
Description
- Classification: mammal
- Scientific name: Equus Zebra
- White and black striped fur
- Shoulder height: 116-150 cm
- Head to body length: 210-260 cm
- Weight: 240-372 kg
- No two zebras have same stripe pattern
Food
- Herbivores
- Serve as prey for mammalian carnivores
- Host for ticks, bot-flies, and other small insects
- Associate with bird variety to remove parasites
- They are grazers
- Disperse seeds and create habitat for other animals and insects
- Hunted by humans for skin
- Eat grass, leaves, wood, bark, stems, seeds, grains, and nuts
Habitat
- Found in southern parts of Africa
- Mountainous slopes and plateaus
- Grassy areas with water source nearby
- Warm & arid climates
- Live in herds for protection
- Each herd has homing groups
- Sleep in small pastures
- In cold weather find shelter in wooded ravines and shallow caves facing east to be warmed by the sun
Adaptation
- Travel in herds to help those who are sick, injured, or lost
- Use a high pitched call to alert others of danger
- Incisor teeth break down plants, groom each other, and can inflict powerful bites to predators
- Stripes make it hard for hunters to pick 1 zebra from a herd
- Stripe pattern blurs the zebra's image as it runs, which also makes hunting difficult
- Big hooves are good for climbing rocky mountain areas
Endangerment and Conservation Efforts
- Hunted for meat, skins, hooves
- Habitat loss due to agriculture
- Fences cut off connection to grassy areas and water sources
- Etusis Foundation protects mountain zebras' living areas
- Mountain Zebra National Park est. in 1937 to help conserve species
- Other reserves: Karoo National Park, Kamanassie Nature Reserve, Cape Point Nature Reserve
- Overall goal: have 2,500 mountain zebras alive and healthy
Photo Credits
Food photo by Wellsphere
Habitat photo by Nelson Mandela
Adaptation photo by Pipaluk