ZEBRA
(Equus Burchelli's)
Afrikaans
Zulu
Zulu
: Zebra
: Dube
: Dube
Shoulder Height
Mass
Gestation
Life span
Mating season
Mass
Gestation
Life span
Mating season
: Adults 130 cm
: average 320 kg
: about 11,5 months - 1 foal - Suckles for about 7 months
: 25 years
: December, January and February
Mating follows quite soon after giving birth.
: average 320 kg
: about 11,5 months - 1 foal - Suckles for about 7 months
: 25 years
: December, January and February
Mating follows quite soon after giving birth.
They are highly sociable animals, and live in family groups of around 30, and other
family's will often join each other. Apparently, a Zebra is one if not the only animal, not effected by the sleeping sickness caused by the tsetse fly.
They are often seen in the presence of Wildebeest (Gnu), Waterbuck, Impala or Kudu.
Stripes are unique to each Zebra. Burchell is recognized by the shadow stripe in between the black stripes. N.B. It is been said that in Game Reserves where the herds are small, there will be a breaking up of the stripes on its hind quarters due to inbreeding.
Females can breed at about 2 years old. When the youngsters are born, the mother will stand in-between the foal and the rest of the herd, for the first couple of minutes, (up to a half hour), to make sure the baby will imprint the stripe pattern of the mother to recognize her during
it's suckling period.
The herds are grazing on the longer coarsest grass, and when migration
starts, the Zebra's moving up front, and the wildebeest follows, as they eat the shorter finer grass.
The stallion (male) will have more than one female, and when moving about, the females follow the male according to hierarchy. It is been recorded that when a young stallion wants to court a female, the father of that female tries the youngster out by having a sparring fight to approve of the courtship, when it is approved, mating can not take place as yet, as the father will (in a sense) decide that.
