What is black and white with stripes all over? A Zebra. The zebra is a hoofed mammal similar to a horse. Research of the zebra shows where they live, what they eat, how they reproduce, social behavior, and their predators. Zebras mainly live in grasslands and thorny scrub lands. You wouldn’t find a zebra that lives anywhere in the United States. Zebras always have to live by rivers, streams, etc. Something interesting about zebras is that if it is too hot and all the water is dried up, zebras will use their hooves to dig holes in the ground to find water.

If you have ever seen pictures of zebras you will see that they have kind of the same shape as a horse. Zebra’s have black and white horizontal stripes which set them apart from any other animal. Zebras also gallop, trot, etc. I wonder what other animal does that? Zebras can also run at the speed of 34 miles per hour, which is much faster than I can run.

Zebras are very social animals. They do very well in zoos, because they are good around people. When they are not in captivity they are in the wild with their family. Usually zebras have smaller family groups. Did you know that zebras actually have very large brains, and are very smart? They even have strategies for when enemies come!

Zebras don’t have much of a diet, all they eat is grass! But, they will only eat if someone is on the lookout while they are eating. Usually zebras eat at night or at midday heat.

Female zebras have babies when they are about three years old. Males do not start mating until they are about five or six years old. Female zebras are usually pregnant for about 12 months. They only have one foal.

Physical characteristics of hoofed mammals are similar with each animal. For instance, they all have hooves, and their body shapes are a lot alike, just different sizes. There are two different kinds of hoofed mammals, even-toed and odd-toed. Even-toed hoofed mammals have four parts to their stomach. Odd-toed has horns, and they do not shed. Zebras belong to family Equidae, just like horses.

Zebras live in small family units. Zebras also look out for each family member a lot, they are very dependable animals. When zebras are out in the wild their main predators are lions and leopards. They share some of the same predators as other hoofed mammals. But, a lot of zebras are in captivity so they also do not always have predators!

Research does not show an common economic or ecological importance from zebras.  However, their skins have been sold for its unique patterns. As you can see, members of the class hoofed mammals are alike in many ways! But, zebras also have their own characteristics that no other animal has. Do you know what they are?

Author: Megan D.
Published: April 2006

Sources:
Burnie, David. "Zebras," Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia.
http://encarta.msn.com/zebra, 2005.