“Behold the zebra on the plains, And shudder at his mighty manes!”-Ogden Nash

Zebras belong to the horse family and have thick bodies, thin legs, tufted tail, long head and neck sporting a short mane. Their brilliant black-and-white striped coat is unique and no two zebras have the same set of stripes which helps them to recognise one another in the herd. These stripes could also dazzle or confuse the predators such as lions, hyenas as well as African wild dogs. Zebras are known to have excellent hearing and eyesight. Their kick is powerful and can cause serious injuries to the predators.

Being herbivores, they graze for several hours each day by using their strong front teeth to clip off the tips of the grass. The back teeth are used to crush and grind the food. An interesting fact is that a Zebra's teeth keep growing for its entire life since continuous grazing and chewing wears them down.

There are three species of zebra, namely the plains zebra, Grevy’s zebra and mountain zebra. They are native to Africa. Plains zebras suffer from drought and a lack of natural resources, making their conservation status nearly threatened. Currently, the Grevys are endangered and mountain zebras are classified as vulnerable.

A tryst with nature #zebra