Mountain Zebra

Facts about Cape Mountain Zebra, "Scientific name for Mountain Zebra is Equus zebra". Mountain Zebra is a variety of horse that belongs to the genus Equus of the Equidae family. The Mountain Zebra are native to South Africa, and they are one among the rarest zebras in the world. They are largely found in the hilly regions of the Eastern and Western Cape provinces of South Africa. The Cape Mountain Zebra variety was once considered a separate variety from Hartmann's mountain zebra, but by means of genomic confirmation, the two varieties of zebra are currently considered subspecies of the Equus zebra. The Cape Mountain Zebra is the smallest zebra in its family in terms of the body size.

Features of Mountain Zebra

An adult Mountain Zebra is capable of attaining a body length, ranging from 84 inches to 104 inches (210 cm to 260 cm), with the tail length between 16 inches and 22 inches (40 cm and 55 cm). The Mountain Zebra have a body weight that ranges from 540 pounds to 837 pounds (240 kg to 372 kg), with the shoulder height between 45.4 inches and 60 inches (116 cm and 150 cm).

The Cape Mountain Zebra varies from the Hartmann's subspecies to some extent by having a smaller-sized body. The Mountain Zebra have a stout body and have a larger dewlap and longer ears. They have black color stripes on their body, which are closely spaced on a white color background. The stripes are broad on their upper back legs, but thinner towards their front quarters and head. The lining continues all along the way to the hooves, but it ends on the flanks, leaving the stomach white. The Mountain Zebra have a reddish brown color nose, with a grid pattern on their rump without shadow lines.

Diet of Cape Mountain Zebra

The Cape Mountain Zebra usually feeds on grass and forbs through grazing, but they also feed on trees and shrubs when grass is not sufficiently available.

Behavior of Mountain Zebra

The Mountain Zebra breeds associate in small troops of two categories, such as bachelor groups and family groups. A bachelor troop of the Mountain Zebra consists of only male zebras and there will not be any female zebras in the group. A family troop of the Mountain Zebra consists of a mature male zebra and a maximum of five adult female zebras and their offspring. Normally, members of a family troop of zebras will continue to live together for several years. There are cases that the male zebras have stayed with his family group more than 20 years.

Usually, Mountain Zebra breeds use to live in groups. When the male zebra of the group turns out to be old and loses form, another male zebra will occupy its place, usually following a fight, and the female zebras will be taken over by the new male zebra. Both fillies and colts leave the group of their parents just before they attain the age of two years. The Mountain Zebra are not compelled to depart by the male zebra of the group, but they will depart on their own pact. When the colts depart their group they roam unaccompanied for a short time, but finally they associate with the male Mountain Zebra of the bachelor group. Fillies use to leave the group soon after attaining the sexual maturity, and they join other new groups or they are herded by a bachelor male Mountain Zebra to structure a fresh family group.

Each family group of the Cape Mountain Zebra continues within a particular home region, ranging in area from 3.5 to 4 square miles (9 square kilometers to 10 square kilometers). The home regions of dissimilar family groups may overlap significantly.

Reproduction of Mountain Zebra

Usually, the male Mountain Zebra attains the sexual maturity after three years of their birth, whereas the female zebra attains the sexual maturity, ranging from three to six years, sometimes more than 6 years after their birth. After attaining the sexual maturity, the female Mountain Zebra offers birth to offspring during the rainy season after the gestation period of one year.

The average lifespan of the Mountain Zebra ranges from 25 years to 30 years.