What's Black And White And Black And White... All Over
Is it true that a zebra is a horse in striped pajamas? Well not exactly, but both zebras and horses are in the equine or horse family, and the Grevy's zebra most closely resembles the body of a horse. There are three other species of zebras: the mountain zebra, the plains zebra, and the extinct quagga. The species differ from each other in social structure and physical characteristics such as the shape of the ears and pattern of striping. What makes the Grevy's unique? The ears have it! Furred inside, the bulbous ears always point toward the action. The Grevy's belly is also distinctive in that it is stripeless. The head is long and narrow with thin facial stripes and long vibrissae on the lips.

Stay Out Of My House!
Other zebras are social animals, living and moving about in herds but the Grevy's zebras are different. They live in small unstable groups that do not form long-lasting bonds. A Grevy's stallion maintains and defends a territory, and will fight with neighboring stallions over a mare in estrus within his territorial boundary. The stallion marks his territory with several dung or manure piles along the border, and other males respect this boundary. He maintains his territory throughout the year, but only defends it in the presence of an estrous female. A mare in estrus urinates frequently and the stallion exhibits a flehmen response. He sniffs the urine and the scent passes over the Jacobsen's organ to detect the presence of hormones.

The stallion with the best territory, indicated by high quality grass and a close water source, is very attractive to wandering mares and is likely to have greater reproductive success than other local stallions. Females with young stay close to water supplies, while mares without young are drawn to areas with better forage.

Zebra Sense
Zebras communicate with vocalizations and body language. The Grevy's vocalization is an unusual combination of braying and whistling as the zebra takes in and exhales air. These calls help mares to locate their foals after a long day of searching for water. Zebras have excellent eyesight and can recognize each other visually. A newborn spends its first few hours bonding with its mother, learning its mother's voice, stripe pattern, and scent.

Identify Yourself!
The dark stripes on the Grevy's body are very narrow and positioned close together in maze-like arches so that each zebra's stripe pattern is an unique as a person's fingerprint. A foal's stripes are tan which gradually darken with maturity. Ethologists use a stripe-pattern identification technique to study zebra populations in the reserves of Ethiopia and Kenya. Does this bold-striped coloring affect a zebra's life? It may! A zebra's worst enemy is a pride of lions, hunting by starlight. When a herd stampedes, the stripes may cause confusion by blurring individual zebra together.

Stripes Forever?
Historically, the Grevy's zebras have been hunted for their beautiful skins to make rugs, coats, and bags. Their greatest threat, however, is loss of habitat. Increased domestic livestock, such as sheep and goats, compete with zebras for forage and water. Drought also takes its toll on the grassy lands of northern Kenya and southern Ethiopia where fewer than 5,000 wild Grevy's remain. Fortunately national game reserves in their native homelands provide permanent sources of water and protection from hunting. This managed care, as well as many zoos' roles in breeding programs, could help the survival of these striped ungulates.

Estrus: a recurring period in most female mammals when mating may take place