I'm writing this ABC book for my 12 year-old grandson, Eric. I've found many interesting facts of all the animals I've featured, and I hope children of all ages, 9 -109 will enjoy them, too. Thank you for reading the final letter, Z

Z is for Zebra,

Wild zebras live in Africa
where nature can be hard.
When sleeping, they’ll be standing up,
while some remain on guard.
When zebras rest they stand in groups,
the reason is, no doubt,
when all the stripes are muddled up
it’s hard to pick one out.

Fun Fact on Zebras

The stripes on zebras are like a human’s fingerprints, no two are the same. In fact, scientists have used the stripes in the same way we use bar codes, to easily identify the zebras they’re studying. 

Zebras are mainly thought to have black or brown stripes on white skin, because the stripes stop at zebras' bellies, which are white. However, it is now known that zebras have black skin under their fine white hair coats! 

There are three species of zebra still in existence: the plains zebra, the mountain zebra and the Grevy’s zebra, with many sub species. The plains zebra are the most common of the three types. They live in small groups of one stallion and several mares with their young. They can be found in the grasslands of eastern and southern Africa. Pregnancy lasts thirteen months before the foal is born. 

The males that haven’t found their own herd will gather in a bachelor group. Some will try to take over another stallion’s herd, but they won’t find it easy. Even if it wins the battle, it still has to win the females' trust, which can take up to three years!

Stallions are males, of around 5-years-old, who have fought other males for the right to travel with that herd and mate with the females in the harem. 

There are two different mountain zebras, the Equus (eekwes) zebra and the Hartmannae. They live in South-western Angola and South West Africa. They like dry, stony, mountainous areas. They prefer slopes and can be found as high as two thousand metres above sea level. They do come down in the winter season, though.

The mountain zebras have hard, sharp hooves to help them climb and keep their balance. They don’t have the mountain beard, but do have a strange neck flap called a dewlap, a bit like the turkey. 

Hartmann’s zebra with dewlap.  Pixabay 

The Grevy’s zebra is the largest of the three species. Their stripes are usually narrower than the plains zebras. This species also has the largest ears, and the longest neck, which make them look almost mule-like. 

The Grevy's common name comes from a royal gift. In 1882, Menelik 11 was the emperor of Abyssinia, which today is Ethiopia. The emperor decided his local zebras were regal animals, and as a sign of his respect, he sent one to the president of France.

Grevy’s zebra with long ears. Pixabay

To tell species apart, it’s best to look at their rumps. In order below:

1) The Grant's broad black.    2) The Burchell's two-toned.   3) The Grevy's narrow, close-set.

Let me introduce you to the Zonkey! He is such a delight. His zebra mother fell in love with a donkey, and we were gifted with the Zedonks! And what a cutie he is. Another zebra fell in love with a horse! And we were gifted with the Zorse! 

Here we have a picture of a very rare spotted zebra. 

The Grevy’s zebra, unlike the plains zebra, which needs to drink every day, can go without water for five days.

Unlike almost every other animal, the zebras make many different sounds. The mountain zebras whinny like the horse, Grevy’s bray like donkeys, and the plains zebras bark like dogs! If a stallion becomes alarmed by approaching predators, it will squeal or make a snorting sound.

To help them in the wild, Zebras have been blessed with super hearing and eyesight. This helps them keep clear of hyenas, cheetahs, and other predators. They also pack a powerful kick, and can run up to 35 mph. Since speed is vital, a newborn foal is born with legs that are 75% the length of its mother's and is all set to run moments after birth.

A group is called a dazzle, a herd, or a zeal. When they are huddled together, the muddle of stripes makes it a lot harder for predators to single one out for a kill.

According to the IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species, the plains zebra is not endangered, while the mountain zebra is considered vulnerable, and the Grevy's zebra is endangered, due to drought and the loss of their natural habitats. 

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That’s it! The whole alphabet is now completed. Thank you all for your wonderful support, and help with finding my nits!