Random Crazy Facts About Plains Zebra (12 items)

• 

  (#3) Zebra Foals Walk Within Minutes Of Being Born

  One of this wild equid’s awe-inspiring traits lies in its ability to grow from infancy to adulthood in under an hour, at least in respect to getting around. Astonishingly, a zebra infant, or foal, can walk within 15 minutes of its birth. By the time a full hour passes, that same foal will already begin running. Even with such an accelerated childhood, the foals face a 50% mortality rate. Those that survive have a lifetime of running ahead of them, so it's a good thing they receive such a head start.
• 

  (#8) Zebras Don't Bark, But They Do Bite

  Should it decide to fight, a zebra can and will lay it all on the line in order to win. In addition to kicking, a zebra will also bite. When traveling in packs during their rigorous migrations, zebras defend one another by encircling and then biting potential predators. A similar event occurred at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., where a zebra went berserk and proceeded to bite a zookeeper. The incident was so shocking that it literally scared a nearby gazelle to death.
• 

  (#2) Most Can Never Be Ridden

  A set of unique features and behaviors makes zebras pretty much impossible to ride. The zebra is the only horse with a ducking reflex, which allows them to effectively dodge a lasso. As such, saddling up a zebra proves to mostly be a futile endeavor. Additionally, zebras never exactly fit the ancient criteria for domestication, which is a long list that includes “people friendliness,” a trait zebras abandoned long ago. So while their equid cousins carried humans cross-country on their backs, zebras were left to openly graze and nimbly learn the lay of the land; because of this, they're not even a little bit intimidated by humans. Zebras also make common prey for lions, meaning your zebra steed is more of a trap than a form of transportation.
• 

  (#12) Grevy’s Zebras Are Endangered And Their Population Has Declined 50% In The Last Two Decades

  Grevy's zebras, commonly found in Kenya, faces critical endangerment; its population has been in steady decline over the course of the past century. Habitat loss due to human intervention has been cited as the key underlying cause of their near extinction. Today, there are believed to be less than 2,500 Grevy’s zebras living in the wild. These majestic wild animals play a huge part in the local ecosystem and their very presence impacts insect populations as well, helping to balance out habitats. Fortunately, conservation efforts are underway.
• 

  (#11) Grevy's Zebras Are The Largest Equid On The Planet

  Standing at approximately 5'2" tall and weighing in at almost 1,000 pounds, the Grevy’s zebra is Earth’s largest equid. Its stripes create a wagon wheel effect that disorients predators. When combined with its mass and height, the genetic composition of the Grevy’s zebra results in a powerful animal that makes for tough prey.
• 

  (#10) There Are Human-Created Zebra Hybrids Called Zebroids

  If crazy zoo stories don't convince you of the zebra's victimization, then feast your eyes on the zebroid. Zebroids occur when scientists just have too much time on their hands and decide to start mixing and matching and mating animals in a Frankenstein-esque way. The end result is a funny looking, often infertile, dwarfed creature that doesn’t fit into regular zebra society, forced to live out its days in a cage.

New Random Displays    Display All By Ranking