Burchell’s zebra

About This Project

Each to his own… stripes!

You can differentiate between various species of zebra by the thickness, colour and direction of their stripes. And even within the same species, each zebra has a unique stripe pattern, so it can easily be identified!

There are various theories about the function of the stripes: protection from predators, regulating body temperature, social interaction…

A zebra family group, consisting of a male, several females and their young, lives at La Barben zoo… Can you pick out the different individuals?

Latin name: Equus quagga
Class: Mammalia
Order: Perissodactyla
Family: Equidae
Size: 2.2-2.5 m long, h at shoulder 1.1 – 1.45 m
Weight: 175 – 385 kg
Lifespan: 9 years in the wild, 30 on average in captivity
Gestation: 12 – 13 months
Number of young: 1
Habitat: savannah
Diet: herbivorous
Distribution: eastern and southern Africa, from southern Sudan and Ethiopia to northern Namibia and South Africa.
Conservation status: Near Threatened

Category
Mammalia