Facts about Grevy's Zebra

Grévy's zebra also known as the Imperial zebra belongs to the genus Equus, family Equidae. A fascinating animal from the zebra family, hunted down for its skin, it has now been driven to extinction.

Grévy's zebras inhabit the arid grasslands, semi-deserts and dry savanna of east Africa. They are mostly found in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia. In the wild, a Grevy's zebra can live for 20 to 25 years and in captivity a little longer, 25 to 30 years.

The stripes are the most amazing aspect of the zebra, as no two zebras have the same stripes in terms of length or width. The stripes of the Grévy's zebra are the narrowest when compared with the stripes of other zebras. The narrow stripes are in concentric patterns, running all along the zebras body right down to their hoofs. However their bellies are completely white and do not have any stripes. Stripes help the Grévy's zebra to hide from predators by standing motionless among the tall grasses . But how that happens is a wonder, as they are never known to stand still, once they sense a predator close by!

They have big heads, long necks and large rounded ears which they can rotate all around to locate the source of any sound. They have erect manes that run all along their backs. Grévy's zebras are nearly seven feet tall and can weigh up to 990 pounds, though the females are slightly smaller than males. They have good binocular vision and are very sensitive to changes in the quality of their food.

Grevy's zebras love to eat, they spend nearly two-thirds of their day just eating. They are herbivorous in nature and eat tall grasses in the places they inhabit. During summers, when there is scarcity of tall grasses, they also eat fruits, bark and leaves. They have sharp incisors, which they use to clip and grind the hard tall grass. They can stay without water for nearly five days at a stretch, but still stay close to water holes because of the foals in the herd.

Grevy's zebras can breed throughout the year and their gestation period is 13 months. The foals weigh about 80 - 125 pounds and have dark brown stripes at birth. Foals start walking within an hour of their birth and stay close to their mothers for nursing and protection from predators. They simultaneously nurse and graze at the tall grasses for nearly one and half years. The brown stripes turn black when the foals are a year old.

The social behavior of Grévy's zebra is different from other zebras. Male zebras are solitary and territorial in nature and do not develop lasting bonds. The only bond is between a mother Grévy's zebra and her foals. Adult males mark their territories by dung piles and females only move in these territories to mate. The males do not tolerate other male presence in their area, but they may socialize at their boundaries and sometimes fight over females who pass through during the mating season. Like all animals, male Grévy's zebras also compete for female attention, by fighting and braying loudly. Though most males do not leave their prime territories and can remain in the same place round the year, some migrate to greener pastures, if the summer spells are too long.

Fun Facts about the Grevy's Zebra

• The Grevy's zebra was known as hippotigris (horse-tiger or tiger horse) in the Roman circus.
• The zebra was named in honor of Jules Grevy, President of the Third Republic regime of France, because he received the first known species as a gift, in 1882.
• The stripes of the zebra are unique to each animal and no two Grevy's zebras have the same-sized stripe patterns.
• Zebras are white with black stripes and not the other way round.
• They bray loudly like donkeys, to communicate with each other.
• The Grevy's zebra is known as Loiborkurum, which means white-rumped in Samburu, the local language of north central Kenya.

The last 15 to 20 years has seen a steady decline in the population of the grevy's zebra. They are no more found in Somalia and are limited to the northern parts of Kenya and southern Ethiopia. Human encroachment and hunting has reduced their strength to just 6,000, worldwide. They are poached for their skin, which is sold for an exorbitant price in the western countries. Their water source has diminished greatly, as it is being diverted for irrigation and other human uses. The Grevy's zebra is also competing for food with domestic livestock raised by humans in their habitat.

All is not lost though for this untamed member of the zebra family. Conservationists are working steadily towards their rehabilitation, by coordinating with local communities to address the threats posed to the Grevy's zebra. Captive breeding programs, eco-tourism, better anti-poaching policing and field conservation efforts are definitely helping to increase their population and save this fine looking animal from extinction.