Zebras are mammals of the family Equidae. Zebras are African horses. They are in the same genus as the common horse, Equus caballus, and donkeys. Zebras are known for having many black and white stripes. There are three main species of zebra, Grevy's Zebra, the Plains Zebra, and the Mountain Zebra.
| Zebras | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A herd of plains zebras (Equus quagga) in the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Perissodactyla |
| Family: | Equidae |
| Genus: | Equus |
| Subgenus: | Hippotigris C. H. Smith, 1841 |
| Species | |
|
†E. capensis | |
 | |
| Modern range of the three living zebra species | |
Species
- Genus Equus
- Grevy's Zebra (Equus grevyi)
- Plains Zebra (Equus quagga)[1]
- Crawshay’s Zebra (Equus quagga crawshaii)
- Selous' Zebra (Equus quagga borensis)
- Grant’s Zebra or Boehm's Zebra, (Equus quagga boehmi)
- Chapman's Zebra (Equus quagga chapmani)
- Burchell's Zebra (Equus quagga burchellii)
- Quagga (Equus quagga quagga)
- Mountain Zebra (Equus zebra)
Appearance
All zebras have very short fur because they live in hot areas. Their fur has black and white stripes. The main part of the body has mostly vertical stripes, and the legs have horizontal stripes. They also have a dark line directly down their spine. Each of the different zebra species has different types of stripes. Each zebra has a unique pattern.[2]
Despite many attempts, we do not really know what the advantage is of having those characteristic stripes. There are different species and sub-species of zebra, and they all have stripes, so scientists think it must be important.[3]
Life
Zebras are social animals that spend time in herds, they graze together and sometimes even groom each other.[4] They can have babies (foals) when they are about five years old and can have one every year. Zebras mainly eat grass. They always live near water and are an endangered species.
References
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