Zebra: a singular “striped horse”

A beautiful sight of a Zebra

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Nature has a great diversity of species throughout the planet. Among these species is the popular equus ferus caballus and in this there is a singular subspecies such as the zebra.

God created the world and with him gave that touch of uniqueness to animals. So we must take care and respect nature.

Three species of the genus Equus indigenous to the African continent are known as zebra

Equssguagga (common zebra, it has five subspecies),
Equuszebra (mountain zebra with two subspecies)
Finally Equusgrevyi (Grevy’s zebra) because its most special attribute is its hue based on white stripes on a black background

As we can see there are three existing zebra species of Equus ferus caballus. Each of these with a classification of subspecies.

The origin of the genus Equus

The Equus genus emerged in North America during the Pliocene. Millions of years ago, this genus was divided into two lineages,

The horse (from which the current horses come)
Stenonian (from which donkeys and zebras come).

The Stenonian lineage crossed into Asia and expanded into the old world. Later, African populations disagreed with Asian populations. In this way, the lineage of the current zebras was created.

Zebras – A peculiar animal

Zebra’s Unique Characteristic: Their Stripes

Prothero and Schoch indicate the following:

“Zebras are black animals with white stripes. There are three observations that indicate that these are white streaks on a dark background: firstly, in the embryo, the development of white streaks and white bellies is after dark pigmentation”

There are also some specimens of black zebras with white dots. On the other hand are those of the rump of the quagga, now extinct, it was dark and had no stripes.

Zebras are black with white stripes, below we will mention the arguments:

White horses did not have the ability to survive in the plains and forests of Africa.
The guagga, an extinct subspecies of the common zebra, had the common stripes on the preliminary part of the body. However, it had a dark back.
Pigmented stripes appear in the widest part and secondary stripes appear, as if the suppression is being attenuated.

The embryonic development of the Zebra

An important element that stands out is that the fetus does not have these stripes. Therefore, this unique attribute appears as the zebra grows.

Bard expressed the following:

“Zebra species differ in terms of the embryonic stage in which the stripes appear”

This expert made a discovery because I observed a zebra out of the ordinary, that is to say, the ones we know. It should be noted that it had small white dots,

This characteristic shows us that the stripes are constituted by inhibition of melanin production. This theory holds that the zebra is a black horse with white stripes.

Vertical stripes appear on the head, neck, shoulders and trunk. While the horizontal stripes are on the back of the animal.

Plains Zebra – Equus quagga

Feeding and hydration of zebras

Zebras are animals whose food source is purely herbal and leafy. These tend to eat twice a day, that is, in the morning and in the afternoon. Sometimes they usually eat at noon.

They also feed on bark and branches. They have a lower nutritional quality diet than that required by other herbivores. This leads them to eat more frequently.

The movement carried out by the zebras is approximately 20 kilometers in order to search for food. However, they usually return to where they were initially.

These mammals usually migrate a year specifically in the summer. This movement is also carried out by other animals on the African continent.

In relation to the hydration of zebras, they have the ability to survive in dry areas. Since the water sources.

Now, to cover the hydration needs of these animals, they usually explore the river bed with their hooves to find water.

In the case of the mountain zebra, it makes the most of its habitat to survive dry periods. When the summer seasons come, this species simply migrates to a higher altitude, making it easier to find the vital liquid in the form of rain, snow, or dew.

For its part, the common zebra is not easily adapted to periods of drought. For this reason she is forced to migrate to other sites in search of the vital liquid.

Zebra’s uniqueness

As we have previously mentioned, zebras are one of the most unique and unique animals that exist on the planet. For this reason, we see how no animal has a coat as particular as that of the zebra.

Another element worth noting is that the stripes on each copy are just as unique as the fingerprints. Likewise, each of the three species that currently exist have their own general pattern.

There are various theories regarding zebra stripes

One of these is its usefulness as a form of camouflage.
They manage to pose a difficulty for predators in differentiating an individual into a herd. In this way it is possible to cover up the distance at dawn and dusk.
They can avoid insects that only recognize large areas of skin of the same color, or act as some type of natural sunscreen.

A beautiful sight of a Zebra

Zebra behavior

Equus caballus species tend to have very sociable behaviors. In this case the zebras are very sociable, however this will depend on the species

In the case of mountain zebras and common zebras they usually live in small herds. For this reason they are formed as follows: a male with up to six mares and their foals.

When these beautiful animals are attacked by their predators such as hyenas or wild dogs. It is the male who takes the lead and defends his small herd from these ferocious animals.

The rank of the group is reflected in the order in which its members walk. For this reason, the one that always goes ahead is the most veteran mare with her foals,

Then the other females come in chronological order, also with their foals, and the male closes the group.

The zebra a singular animal …

The zebra is undoubtedly a very unique animal within the equidae species. Therefore, care must be taken to preserve these wonderful animals of God’s creation.

These mammals are generally found in the wild enjoying freedom. Help them stay free and get to know them more.