Zebra

The Plains Zebra (equus quagga), also called Savannah Zebra or Damara Zebra, is wide-spread in southern Africa, in the grass savannah and in forested areas.



Zebras usually live in small family units of up to 20 members, one or a few mares and the young ones led by a stallion. The group size depnds on the quality of the biotope. The poorer the vegetation, the smaller the group. The families stay together for many years. The group behaviour of zebras is remarkable: If an animal gets lost, the group can spend days looking for it.

The striking pattern of stripes on the Plains Zebra is different in each animal. Therefore the members of a family can recognise each other by their stripes. Although the stripes are very flashy from nearby, seen from a distance they are an excellent camouflage and provide a certain protection against predators. Lions in particular like to prey on zebras.

A Zebra subspecies is the Mountain Zebra (equus zebra). Its black stripes are broader and the white stripes are smaller than the stripes of the plains zebra. And below the forehead there is a brown coloured section. As the name suggests, Mountain Zebras live in the mountainous highlands of Namibia in altitudes of up to 2000 metres. They unfortunately belong to the endangered animals.



Game Parks: One can easily observe Plains Zebras in the Etosha Park and Mountain Zebras in the Naukluft Park and in private game reserves.