Hartmann's mountain zebra (Equus zebra hartmannae)

What do I eat?

Zebras are herbivores, feeding from different grasses, leaves, twigs and even bark. During times of dry weather, Hartmann’s zebra can go without water for around 2 days.

Where do I live?

Hartmann’s zebra are found in Namibia, Angola & South Africa. They prefer habitats that have mountainous slopes and plateaus with sources of water and suitable grazing areas.

Breeding

Hartmann’s zebra do not have a breeding season as they can breed throughout the year. They can mate from the age of 2-6 years old.

These animals will live in herds of around 6-8 individuals and led by a dominant male (stallion) and a dominant female (mare). Within its first hour of life, a zebra foal will stand up, take their first steps and feed from their mother. Zebra foals will suckle from their mother until about 10 months of age; they will be pushed away by their mothers at around 14-16 months, just before the arrival of the next foal.

Predators

The main predators of zebra include lions, leopards, cheetah, hyena and wild dogs.

In order to stay safe, zebra will give alarm calls if they spot a threat nearby and will run up to 40mph to safety. The stripe patterns of zebra can help to break up their outline which helps to confuse predators, as it makes it harder to pick out individuals when they are running as a group.

Conservation

Due to the demand in land for agriculture and grazing land for livestock animals, more and more of the zebra’s habitat is being cleared and they often have to compete for grazing areas with animals such as cattle. This has led to many zebra being hunted, both legally and illegally, so that more land can be used more by farmers.