Zebra
Mammals
Some Endangered
facts
Zebras eat mostly grass, but sometimes they nibble leaves from bushes.
description
Black or white?
Is a zebra white with black stripes or black with white stripes? It's a tricky question! A zebra's coat is white with black stripes, but under that fur, the animal's skin is black. So it all depends on how you look at it!
Safety in numbers
Zebras are members of the horse family. They have excellent hearing and eyesight and can run at speeds of up to 35 miles per hour. Usually the lead male of the herd, called a stallion, stays at the back of the group to defend against predators, if necessary. When zebras are grouped together, the stripes make it had for a lion or leopard to pick out one zebra to chase.
There are three types of zebra, and each species has a different stripe size from narrow to wide. In fact, the farther south you travel on the African plains, the farther apart the stripes on the zebras get! The stripes on individual zebras are a different as our fingerprints.
Zebra language
Zebras communicate with facial expressions and sounds. They make loud braying or barking sounds and soft snorting sounds. The position of their ears, how wide open their eyes are, and whether they show their teeth all send a signal. For example, ears flat back means trouble, or "you better follow orders!"
