MAMMALIA: PERISSODACTYLA: EQUIDAE: Equus

Equus grevyi

Grevy's Zebra

Photo & author credits

Range: Eastern Africa, from Ethiopia south to northern Kenya.

Diagnosis: Body stripes extremely thin and closely set. Rump stripes for rings or "fingerprint" (vs. horizontal) patterns.

Description: This is the largest living member of the horse family. The dorsal stripe is thick and black, with white borders: body stripes do not meet the vertebral stripe. The black and white pattern extends onto the long, coarse mane.

Natural History: Grevy's zebra lives in arid habitats, including desert and savannah country where grazing is sparse. They are evolutionarily adapted to eating dryer grasses than are other grazing species, and can thus survive where other herbivores would die. 

Grevy's zebras may form huge temporary herds of over 1,000 individuals. At such times, mating may take place, but no lasting bonding occurs.

Reproduction: Mating may occur at any time, and gestation may take up to 400 days. Young have long manes and a brown and reddish-brown coloring; adult pattern begins to form at about 4-5 months of age. Sexual maturity takes place at about 3 years, but stallions usually do not get the opportunity to mate until they are at least six.

Taxonomy & Relationships: Several equuids are known as zebras, and these are divided among three genera. Other zebras include the mountain and Burchell's zebras, and the extinct South African quagga.

Variation: Variation is based on age, not sex or distribution (see "Reproduction," above).

Additional Comments:

Type Specimen:

Literature: Click on book to order.

Nowak, Ronald. 1991. Walker's Mammals of the World, Fifth Edition. Two volumes. Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN: 0-8018-3970-X.