Zebra (equus quagga)

Zebra... or equus quagga!


Zebras are animals that are known for their distinctive black and white stripes. These stripes help camouflage the animals from predators. No stripe pattern is the same on any zebra. They live in various habitats, from grasslands to mountains. There are four species of zebra, and one went extinct. The plains zebras are not endangered, but 2 of it's subspecies are endangered. 

It was first believed that a zebra was white with black stripes, as it's belly is white, but tests have proved that a zebra is black with white stripes, and that the belly is in addition. It is believed that zebras are not colorblind, and though it is not proven, they are thought to be able to recognize each other's stripe patterns. They are herbivores, and live on grass, though sometimes eat bugs when they come in with grass.

Females become mature faster than boys, and could have had their first foal by age three. Males become mature at age 5, and usually the female births once a year. When the baby is born, it is brown and white at first. It will be nursed by it's mother for a year, and will then leave it's mother.

People have tried to tame zebras in the past, but their panicky movements when under stress make it hard to ride them and to tame them. When a zebra is being attacked, it will run in a zig-zag pattern to complicate things for it's enemy. If the enemy gets too close, the zebra will rear up and bite or kick the enemy. To this day, zebras roam the earth, protecting their foals, fouling enemies, and fooling people with their black and white stripes.