50 Amazing Facts About Zebras You Should Know | Legacy Facts

# The word "zebra" derives from the old Portuguese word "Zevra" meaning "wild ass."

# Along with horses and donkeys, Zebra is part of the Equidae family.

# There are three different species of zebra, the plains zebra, Grevy's zebra, and mountain zebra, all three species are native to Africa.

# Zebras can be 3.5 to 5 feet tall and weighs 440 to 990 pounds.

# In fact Zebras are black, with white stripes.

# There are different types of zebra, each with a different stripe pattern. Normally the mountain zebra has vertical stripes on its neck and across its torso, while horizontal stripes cover its legs.

# Scientists are not sure why zebras have stripes but many theories center on their utility as some form of camouflage.

# Stripes provide protection against predators because zebra live in large herds and too many stripes in one place usually confuse the predator (predator cannot choose which animal it should hunt).

# The black & white striped pattern of their coats is a good bug repellant that keeps horseflies and other blood-suckers at bay.

# A group of zebras is called "Zeal" or "Dazzle."

# Zebras are one of the few animals that can see in color.

# Zebra has excellent eyesight and a sense of hearing.

# Zebras can't see the orange color.

# Zebras can move their ears in almost any direction; this ability is used to communicate with other zebras about their mood.

# They communicate with each other with sounds and facial expressions.

# Zebras eat leaves and grass. Without water, Zebras can not survive and need to drink it at least once a day.

# Zebra sleep in the standing position.

# Each foot of the Zebras has one toe.

# Zebras are social animals (except Grevy's zebras) which spend time in herds.

# Male zebra is called a stallion and the female is known as the mare.

# For 2 to 3 days, a mother zebra will keep her foal away from all other zebras until the foal recognizes her scent, voice, and appearance.

# Mother Zebra is mother caring and protective mothers. Infant zebras (foals) will stand, walk, and suckle shortly after birth and for the first year of life will continue to drink their mother's milk.

# All zebra are close to their mothers, but with their fathers, males often form strong bonds.

# By "scanning" their stripes like a barcode, scientists can identify individual zebras.

# When chased by a predator, zebras run in a zig-zag pattern to make it more difficult for the predator to run after them.

# A zebra can run up to 65 km/h or 40 mph.

# If a zebra is attacked, its family will come around the wounded zebra to its defense and try to drive off predators.

# Zebras have a powerful kick which can cause a predator to suffer serious injury.

# During the dry season some zebras migrate. They can travel up to 500 miles a year to find a place with more water and food.

# Massive herds consisting of tens of thousands of zebra perform one of the most awe-inspiring migrations on earth across the plains of the Serengeti.

# Zebras and ostriches often live together to protect one another against predators. The ostrich can see better and the zebra can hear or smell danger better.

# Zebras live in the wild for 20 to 30 years, and in captivity for up to 40 years.

# There are less than 2,500 Grevy Zebra’s left in the world.

# Quaggas, an extinct Zebra sub-species has been resurrected.

# The Grévy zebra is named after Jules Grévy, president of France (in 1882) who received a zebra as a gift from the Abyssinian emperor. Imperial Zebras are another name of Grévy's Zebras.

# Zebras and horses cannot live in the same areas since zebras carry a virus that has no effect on zebras but is lethal for horses.

# A cross between a zebra and a donkey is called a zonkey, zebronkey, zedonk, or zebadonk.

# The "okapi" is a once thought fictitious animal; it is basically a cross between a zebra and a giraffe.

# The Native American culture considered a zebra as a symbol of balance and sureness of path.

# In a Palestinian zoo, two zebras died from starvation and were replaced with donkeys painted with black and white stripes.

# Romans used Grévy’s zebras to pull two-wheeled carts for their circuses. The zebra was usually called a 'Tiger-Horse' or 'Horse-Tiger' in Roman Circuses.

# Lord Walter Rothschild, a tremendously wealthy banker, and zoologist, regularly drove a carriage harnessed to 6 zebras to prove zebras could be tamed.

# Zebras are responsible for more injuries to zookeepers in the United States than any other animal.

# In Hawaii, there is a zebra with "golden" stripes rather than black, due to the pigmentation abnormality called amelanism.

# Although some individual zebras were domesticated, most cannot. They are unpredictable and they're known for attacking people.

# The zebra crossings or pedestrian crossings are named after the black and white stripes of zebras.

# People are paying thousands of dollars for hunting Zebras and other African wildlife at large ranches in Texas.

# A kind of zebra, known as the zebra of Burchell, can be legally farmed in the UK for meat.

# For the zebra, the Swahili name is "Punda Milia."

# In most U.S. states it is legal to own a zebra.

# In California, there is a pack of zebras running around the property of the Hearst castle.

If you are interested then check out our "Facts About Snakes"

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