Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo - Animal Fact Sheet


GRANT'S ZEBRA (Equus burchelli bohmi)
Range:	Zimbabwe to Sudan in East Africa. One of several sub species of plains zebras
Habitat:	Inhabits grasslands with scattered trees
Diet:	Savannah grasses. With high crowned teeth, they eat coarse grasses that other hoofed animals (such as antelope) cannot eat. Only grazer with upper and lower incisors, which allows for snipping of the blades instead of yanking and tearing. This reveals more tender grasses for other hoofed animals. Need lots of water, so when traveling will stay near water sources.
Status:	Some zebra species are endangered (Mountain and Grevy's Zebra due to over hunting and habitat loss). Estimated 300,000 Grant's Zebras in wild.
Approx. Dimensions of Adult:	Odd-toed ungulate (hoofed) Height: 4-5 ft. at shoulders Weight: 500 - 600 lbs. Vertical stripes at front becoming diagonal on flanks and horizontal at rear and down legs. Excellent eyesight and sense of smell. Large flexible ears to pick up sounds in any direction. Short, stiff manes, tufted tails and "chestnuts" (small horny patch) inside front legs.
Lifespan:	28 years
Reproduction:	Mating occurs in spring. Gestation is 345-390 days. Foals weigh 60-70 lbs. and have brown and white stripes, long legs. Able to move with the herd within one hour. Resistant to diseases that affect other bovines. Mares reach sexual maturity around 28 months, stallions at 5-6 years. Young stallions leave the family at 5-6 years to form their own families. This controls inbreeding.
Live in close groups of up to 17 members called families or harems, led by single stallion and one dominant female. Groups stay close even when migrating in herds of 10,000 or more, and will slow their pace when young or weak are with them. Sleep in turns for guard-duty. Zebras clean their bodies by rolling in mud or dust, then shake off mud with loose hair and patches of dry skin. Oxpecker birds eat tiny pests off skin. Ear positioning conveys mood: When calm, ears are erect; Strained forward: fear or apprehension; Pulled back: aggressive posture. Can be combative in nature; belligerent. Defends self with vigor, kicking front and rear legs, fierce biting. Main predators are hyenas and lions. One 600 lb. zebra can feed a whole pride of lions. Like most prey animals, the zebra's large eyes are on the side of the head to allow a wider field of view. When a predator is seen, herd will bunch up creating a maze of black and white stripes. Can run 35 -40 miles per hour. Stripes might protect zebras from biting insects, such as the Tsetse fly, which transmits African Sleeping Sickness. They cannot see the zebra for it's stripes. There is an extra layer of fat under black stripes and gets up to 18 degrees hotter than white stripes.