Plains Zebra

• Every zebra's stripe pattern is unique, like a fingerprint.
• It forms stable family herds ('harems') led by a dominant stallion.
• It can stand within 15 minutes of being born.
• anatomíaIts stripe pattern is as unique to each animal as a human fingerprint, and no two zebras carry exactly the same design.
• fisiologíaGenetically it is a black animal with white stripes: the stripes form in the womb where melanin is locally absent, not the other way round.
• adaptaciónOne of the best-supported explanations for its stripes is that they work as a visual repellent against flies and horseflies, cutting down on bites.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)

Habitat & environment

Savanna, open grassland and light woodland of eastern and southern sub-Saharan Africa

Birth weight

Weight not found as a precise figure in the sources consulted; born able to stand within about 15 minutes

Size at birth

On its feet within 15 minutes of birth; grazing within a week

Sexual maturity

16-22 months (though stallions cannot compete effectively for mares until 4-5 years old)

Gestation / incubation

12-13 months (360-396 days)

Litter / clutch size

1 foal; twins extremely rare

Lifespan in captivity

Up to 25-30 years in zoos

Sources consulted: ResearchGate (Focus on the Plains Zebra); A-Z Animals; Zoo Atlanta; Animalia.bio; National Zoological Garden Pretoria; SDZWA Library Fact Sheet; The Animal Facts