RWP Zoo: Grant's Zebra
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Grant's zebra

   Did You Know?          

>> The zebra's primary defense is camouflage. The stripes conceal an individual's outline which confuses a predator. Predators will not attack a herd; they only attack individual animals.

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They have excellent hearing, sight and smell. Their eyes are large enough and the jaw is long enough to spot predators even when they are eating.
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The travel pace is set by the young, old and weak with the stronger providing a wall of protection. The stallion searches for missing mares and offspring.
>> Migrate a few hundred miles a year in herds up to 5,000 - don't overgraze an area.
>> A male is called a buck, boomer, jack or old man.
>> Coexist with many different species - wildebeests, ostriches, antelopes, gazelles, elephants, giraffes, oxpeckers.

 

 Fast Facts

Size:
Stands 4 - 4.5 feet tall

Weight:
About 500 pounds

Diet:
Herbivore; eats grass (even if it's tough and dry)

Life Span:
25 - 30 years in the wild; up to 40 years in captivity

Habitat:
Open grasslands and savannas (tropical grasslands - warm all year, long dry spells & short rainy season)

Fun Facts:
A foal stands within 12 minutes of birth, walks well by 35 minutes, and runs by 60 minutes.

Zebras can run up to 35 mph and are built for endurance. They have a deep ribcage and large lungs.

Conservation:
Least Concern

Greatest threat is competition from domestic animals; there are at least 50,000 on the plains.

Grevy's zebra is endangered with less than 5,000; Mountain zebra is endangered with less than 10,000; Quagga has been extinct since 1880's.

Fences and roads distrupt migration routes.

Geographic Location:
East and central Africa, 2/3 of the east of Lake Victoria in Kenya and Tanzania

Grant's zebra range
Roger Williams Park Zoo
1000 Elmwood Avenue . Providence, RI 02907 . 401-785-3510
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