Identification - The common zebra has broad, widely spaced stripes which are generally more brown in color in females and jet black in stallions. Boehm's zebra (Equus burchelli boehmi) of southern Kenya and Tanzania has brown shadow stripes between the main stripes. Each zebra has a unique pattern of stripes. Voice - The contact call is a peculiar barking noise which sounds rather like a cross between a dog barking and a donkey braying. Zebras snort abruptly when alarmed or nervous, and adults squeal when threatened or bitten. Foals wail if distressed. Habitat - Open grassy plains, wooded grasslands and semi-arid grass bush. Habits - Diurnal and nocturnal, though generally more active during the daytime. Zebras are gregarious, and are usually found in groups of up to six females accompanied by their offspring and a mature male who is the dominant member of the group. Young males leave their family group at between one and three years of age and join bachelor herds. These herds number from two to ten males (sometimes more), consisting entirely of young or older males, or a mixture of all age groups. Seniority in these bachelor herds is age-based. The younger males often chase one another and play-fight, testing themselves against age-mates, though they do not begin to try and form harems of their own until they are five years old. Members of a family herd often groom one another, facing in opposite directions so that each can reach the other's head, neck and shoulders. Individuals often rest in this position, enabling them to keep watch for predators. These activities help to reinforce bonds among family members. The largest herds are a feature of the dry season when the zebras migrate long distances in their tens of thousands in search of good grazing and water, though the individual families still remain intact. The herd stallions are not territorial; instead they defend their harem year round irrespective of where they happen to be. Rival males engage in ritualized fights, dropping to their knees and attempting to bite the legs of their opponent or rearing up on their hind legs and neck-wrestling, biting at each other's face and neck and kicking with their forelegs. A zebra will lash out with its hind legs if pursued too closely, an effective way of deterring further conflict. Zebras usually commute between the long grass areas where they feed during the daytime, and sleep in areas among shorter grass where they are safest from predators. They continue to graze during the night and sleep intermittently, but at least one of the family remains alert and on its feet. Zebras regularly dust bathe by rolling on their backs, an activity that helps to keep their coat in good condition, and may reflect sunlight and keep them cool. Zebras are capable of galloping at speeds of up to 40 mph (65 kmh) when pursued by predators. Reproduction - Stallions acquire females by abducting young mares from another family. This happens at the onset of a female's first estrus, when she is one to two years old. These young females adopt a very obvious and distinctive stance when they come into estrus, standing with their legs apart and their tail lifted. Competition is intense for females and a dozen or more stallions fight for possession of young mares, making it almost impossible for the harem male to withstand their challenge. Older females conceal estrus, and only adopt this stance when about to mate with the harem male. Females give birth in the vicinity of their family group, and foals can stand within 10 to 15 minutes and walk shortly afterwards. They can run within the hour. Food - Zebras are grazers, but do not ruminate. They rely on large quantities of coarser vegetation which they are able to process rapidly. They are highly adaptable, selecting the seed head and stem of the longer grasses during the dry season, and feeding on short green grass during the rains. Zebras prefer to drink daily, often making their way to water during the middle of the day. Predation - Lions, hyenas and hunting dogs are all capable of killing both adult and young zebras, while leopards and cheetahs take foals. When threatened, a zebra family bunches together and moves off with the stallion bringing up the rear. This is often sufficient to deter a full-fledged attack by pack hunting hyenas and wild dogs. If not, adult zebras are capable of delivering a bone crushing kick, and have been known to smash the jaw of a pursuing predator. Added to this, their teeth are razor sharp and can snap a man's arm.

Identification - The Grevy's zebra is the largest of the zebras. It can be distinguished from the common zebra (Equus burchelli) by its large head and bat ears, its narrow close-set stripes, and non-striped belly. The thin, circular stripes on the rump form a distinctive 'target'. They are sometimes found in mixed groups with the common zebra. Voice - Brays like a donkey. Habitat - Grevy's zebra is the most northerly representative of the zebra family, inhabiting the dry savanna and arid bush country of northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia. Habits - Diurnal and nocturnal. Grevy's zebras adopt a very different form of social organization to the common zebras. Groups of five to ten females and their foals wander in overlapping home ranges which include the territories of a number of territorial males. Social grooming is almost absent, and herds seem to lack cohesion and well defined social bonds. Young males stay in their natal herd until they are three years old and then leave to join other bachelors. They are fully mature and capable of holding a territory at six years old. Stallions mark the boundaries of their territory by defecating and urinating at dung middens, by their physical presence and by calling. Bachelors often mingle with the female herds while searching for good grazing, and are tolerated by territory holders as long as none of the females are in estrus. Large mixed herds of up to 200 individuals sometimes form during the dry season migrations and sometimes gather at water holes. These big herds generally disperse for the duration of the dry season to avoid competition for scarce grazing. Territorial males often remain on their territory year round, waiting for the females to return at the onset of the wet season when most breeding takes place. Reproduction - Foals are born throughout the year with a peak during the rainy seasons. Females usually have their first foal when they are three years old. Newborn foals gain their feet within 10 to 15 minutes and can run within the hour. Females with young foals congregate in nursery herds, sometimes in the company of heavily pregnant mares and mares with older young. Food - Grevy's zebras graze on the stem and seed head of various grass species, browsing during the dry season when grass is in short supply. They drink daily if water is available, but can go without drinking for two or three days when necessary. During prolonged drought, they will dig for water in the river beds. Predation - Lions prey on adults and young, while leopards and hyenas sometimes take foals.