Plains Zebra

Equus quagga (Boddaert, 1785)

Photo: Doug Lee

IUCN Conservation Status:

• Gevy’s zebra, Crawshay’s zebra = Endangered (EN)
• Wild ass, Selous zebra = Critically Endangered (CR)
• Grant’s zebra = Lower Risk, conservation dependent (LR/cd)
• Chapman’s zebra = Lower Risk, least consern (LR/lc)

“Pajama-donky” or “horse in a rugby-jersey”, as it is often refered to by children, and in the early 1800s, zebras were called the wild horses of Africa. Its popular name refers to the animal’s preference to inhabit plains environments. The extinct quagga and the plains zebra were successfully tamed during the 1800s and cross-bred with donkeys. The hybrids were called zeb-donks and were used to pull carts and wagons.

Taxonomy

Classification

The genus includes all zebras, horses and the wild ass, with the following recent species in Africa:

• Equus africanus, the wild ass of north-eastern Africa
• E. zebra, the mountain zebra of south-western Africa
• E. grevyi, Grevy’s zebra from north-eastern Africa
• E. mauritanicus, the extinct North African zebra of the Sahel
• E. quagga, the plains zebra with 6 subspecies
• E.q. boehmi (granti), Grant’s zebra from Central and East Africa
• E.q. crawshayi, Crawshay’s zebra from East Africa
• E.q. selousi, Selous zebra from south-eastern Africa
• E.q. antiquorum (chapmani), Chapman’s zebra from southern Africa
• E.q. burchelli, the extinct Burchell’s zebra from Namibia, Botswana and the northern Cape, the last member died in 1918
• E.q. quagga, the extinct Cape quagga from South Africa, the last memder died in 1883

Some confusion might exist in the mind of readers caused by the recent name changes of the zebra species. The mountain zebra, together with the African wild ass evolved from an unidentified ancestor during the early Pleistocene (1-2 million years BP). Thereafter Grevy’s zebra derived from another pre-ancestor Equus capensis during the middle Pleistocene. All of the sub-species of the plains zebra E. quagga, which include the recently extinct quagga and Burchell’s zebra, evolved between 120 000-290 000 years BP and share in a common ancestor E. mauritanicus which was a much larger animal from northern Africa during the late Pleistocene. The plains zebra that are presently introduced, re-introduced, and spread across almost the entire of South Africa is predominantly the Chapman’s zebra E.q. antiquorum, and not the Burchell’s zebra as is still being refered to in the majority of literature and media.

Image gallery

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Evolution

Description

Comparison to man

Social structure

Plains zebra are migrators by nature, moving between food and water sources and especially between burnt veld. Home ranges are thus large, unstable and temporary. Plains zebra are gregarious forming large herds of multiple closed family groups consisting of 4-12 individuals each. The herds moves through the home range as a temporary unit. In thick woodland or bushveld and on smaller land-units the larger aggregations are lost and the family groups are scattered across the habitat. Family bonding in the family groups are very tight and permanent and follow a strict hierarchy order of dominance. The family structure consists of a dominant stallion (8-12 years), a dominant alpha mare (older than 8 years), 2-3 beta mares (5-8 years), 2-5 chi mares (3-5 years) and several sub-adults (younger than 3 years) of both sexes. Young stallions leave the group at 3 years to join a bachelor group which roam the same home range than the herd. Young mares, 2-3 years, are being lured away by opportunistic non-dominant stallions. Often these associations establish new families. Adult shoulderheight is reached at 3 years and adult bodymass after 5 years.

Distribution

Diseases

Plains zebra are fairly resistant to most tropical diseases except for horse-sickness that can eliminate entire populations. They tolerate high infections of ticks and are not susceptive to foot-and-mouth disease or to malignant catarrhal fever.

Information Table

Bibliography