Zebras

Alex Re

Hello, welcome to on wildlife. I'm your host, Alex Ray, on this podcast, we bring the wild to you, we take you on a journey into the life of a different animal every week. And I guarantee you, you're gonna come out of here knowing more about your favorite animal than you did before. Many organisms in the animal kingdom have stripes. But the animal that I'm going to be talking about today might have some of the most recognizable striped patterns on the planet. And their stripes aren't the only feature that makes them stand out. So join me as we traveled to the plains of Africa to talk about zebras.

There are three different zebra species, the greggy, zebra, the mountain zebra, and the plain zebra. And within those species, there are also multiple different subspecies, and they're all native to Africa. But each species lives in a different part of Africa. The largest type of zebra is the gravy zebra. And it's best known for its unique stripes, which are unique to each zebra like our own fingerprints. They can weigh almost 1000 pounds and be seven and a half feet long. They're most closely related to the wild donkey, which is why they have larger ears and are taller compared to other types of zebras. And these zebras are native to Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, where they thrive in semi arid grasslands. And there's only one subspecies of the grabby zebra. The mountain zebra is best known for its physical distinctions. It has something called a dewlap, which is kind of like a dangling fold of skin on their throat. And other zebras don't have this. Mountain zebras inhabit the dry plains of Southern Africa. And there are two different subspecies. And some of them live in mountainous areas, which means they need to be really good climbers. And in order to do this, they have really sharp pointed hooves that allow them to climb rocky areas. And last but not least, the plains zebra is the most common and the smallest of all zebras, they have a much wider range than the other two zebras. And they're found in the grasslands and Woodlands of South and East Africa. And if you've ever seen a nature documentary of hundreds of zebras running together in a herd, you're probably looking at a subspecies of gravy zebra called grants zebras. They perform these huge migrations during the rainy season, and there can be up to 10,000 zebras in a single herd during these migrations. Now, a common question always comes up when we're talking about zebras. Are they white with black stripes or black with white stripes. Most zebras are thought to have a white coat what's called an under color with black or brown stripes because the stripes end on their belly. But some changes in their DNA could cause the zebras to have a black or dark undercoat with white or light stripes. And to make everything even more complicated. zebras have black skin underneath their firm. So your guess is as good as mine on this one. But zebras have these stripes for specific reasons. And we're going to talk about that later on in the episode. But first, what are zebras favorite things to eat? Well, there are herbivores, so they only eat plants. And they graze on all different types of wild grasses and could even go for leaves or bush stems in more forested areas. But zebras don't just have a few meals dispersed throughout the day. They graze for numerous hours every day. In fact, they can spend almost 80% of their days just eating grass. And when they're eating, they don't really pull the grass out of the ground, they just eat the tips of the grass. And they basically use their front teeth as a lawn mower to clip off the tops of the grass. After this, they crush and grind the food until it's an extremely small pieces which their stomach can digest. But because they live in really dry environments, the grass that they eat is also really dry, and it doesn't have as much nutrients as grass that other animals like cows would eat. And to get the most out of their food. They use this process called hind gut fermentation, which is basically using a special kind of bacteria in their stomach to break down the grass. And unlike humans, zebras teeth never stopped growing throughout their lives. This is because they have a constant appetite and they have to chew all the time. So they're strong teeth are really a necessity for life. They also have to worry about when they can get enough water. When there's less grass available to eat during the dry season. They leave in herds to find water holes, or in some cases they make their own. zebras can dig pits in already dried up stream beds to get water that's hidden underground. And when you're in such a dry place, you don't know when you're going to get your next drink, which is why zebras can drink up to a gallon of water at a time. Now that I've talked about what they eat, let's talk about what eats them and I think you may have some pretty good ideas about that. But we'll talk about that right after the break.

The person that I'm recognizing today on notable figures in science is Dr. Ben Barris who was a neurobiologist. He did most of his research on glia, which are specific types of brain cells. Specifically, he worked on how brains develop and how neurons form connections called synapses. Not only that, but he was the first openly transgender person to become elected to the US National Academy of Sciences. Before he transitioned, he experienced what it was like to be a woman in the field of science. He fought for gender equality in science and worked hard to make sure every person no matter their gender or race would be treated fairly. His work in neurobiology and gender equality should definitely not go unnoticed. If you want to find more information on Dr. Barris or this series, check out on wildlife.org.

Okay, we're back. So what eat zebras? Well, zebras are hunted by some of the most feared predators on Earth. Lions, hyenas, cheetahs, and even crocodiles, they have to outrun all of these dangerous animals. And that's why they can run at speeds of up to 35 miles per hour. Now that may seem fast, but lions can run at over 50 miles per hour, and cheetahs can hit 80 miles per hour. So how do they avoid getting eaten, they have a few strategies that are really effective. First, when running from a predator, they don't run in a straight line, they run in a zigzag pattern and like to stick together. When they do this they're striped for comes in handy because it can cause a lot of confusion for the predator. And they also have stamina on their side, they can run for much longer distances than lions and cheetahs, who are faster in quick bursts. But if an animal gets too close, they also have a really strong kick, which can cause some serious injury. Sometimes they even team up with other animals and form mixed herds where we'll do beasts and giraffes travel alongside the zebras. This reduces the risk of predators attacking the herd, because there's more visual and sensory stimulation. So they're at risk of getting attacked at all times, but they still need time to rest and to eat. This is why when they're standing still, some zebras will lay their heads on each other's necks to keep watch behind their partner. And it's actually really cute to look at, it looks kind of like they're hugging. So usually when they're eating some zebras will be the lookouts while others grace. And in order to communicate, they usually bark, snort wine, and use numerous facial expressions. If you were to close your eyes and listen to their communication, you would consider it very similar to how horses and donkeys sound. And this communication is really helpful when looking out for predators. And they have a really keen sense of hearing too, they can turn their ears in different directions in order to figure out where a specific sound is coming from. But predators aren't the only thing that zebras have to worry about. They also have to be careful of parasites. Because zebras don't have fingers to scratch their fur, they oftentimes roll in the dust to shake off any unwanted bugs or parasites. And this is why in some areas, the zebras give off more of a red tint. Compared to other mammals their size, they live relatively long lives. In the wild, they can live for up to 25 years, and in captivity with the care of humans, they can live for up to 40 years, and they don't really have a designated mating season. Each mother only produces one offspring, which is called a foal, and she's pregnant for about a year. And I don't know about you, but I would have a hard time identifying the difference between two individuals zebras. So how do the foals recognize their mothers? Well, as soon as the foal was born, the mother keeps him or her away from other zebras for about two to three days. This is so that the zebra can familiarize itself with the mother's voice, stripes and scent, and males and females mature at different times. Males mature in about six years, while females mature in about five years. The way that zebras build relationships with each other varies depending on their species, plane, zebras live together and family groups called harems. They're composed of a stallion, which is the male of female infants and juveniles. Grizzly zebras live a little bit differently, we're females and males aren't bound by a specific family group. In this species, females are attracted to and associate more with males based on where their territory is. Cape mountain zebras are separated into two bachelor groups and breeding herds. Breeding herds have one stallion up to five mares or female zebras and the offspring, stallions displace one another while the group stays together most of the time, the younger zebras or foals tend to leave the herd just before they turn two years old. This isn't easy. However, oftentimes the lead stallion tries to keep the foals in the herd. When two stallions from different breeding herds meet, they fight each other and they don't stop fighting until one surrenders. depending on the species and the circumstances, stallions like to travel in the back of a group to have their eyes on the entire harem. And they also lead the direction of travel. Now, it's no secret that zebras look a lot like horses, except you don't really see many people riding zebras. Why is that? You'll find that out right after the break.

It's time for a trivia question. flamingos are known for their distinctive pink color. But why is this? Is it because of a camouflage to hide from their prey? Be their diet, see sunburn, or D because they like to roll in dust like zebras.

If you chose be their diet, then you're correct. The algae and small crustaceans that they eat, have pigments that give them their distinct color.

Okay, welcome back. So since zebras are closely related to horses and donkeys, why aren't they domesticated? Well, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, European colonizers tried to domesticate zebras with little success. And there are multiple different reasons for this. They're aggressive and have attacked people, they usually panic under pressure, and they're very unpredictable. And unlike horses, they have really intense defense mechanisms because of the extreme number of dangerous predators that they have to deal with on a day to day basis. Just recently, in 2013, a teenager in Virginia named Shay Inman tried to figure out a way to domesticate a zebra. While some success was achieved. Inman believes that a lot of it comes from genetics, which is not an easy thing to change. While training, zebras has had little success, scientists were able to successfully hybridize a zebra. This means that they were able to have a zebra meet with another organism to reproduce. They did this with a horse and a zebra known as a source and a donkey and a zebra known as zonkey. Aside from being really adorable, why are zebras important to the ecosystems that they live in? You could consider them to be nature's lawn mowers. They heap grasses and shrubs length and check by clipping the tops of the plants making sure that they don't become too overcrowded. They're also really important food sources for carnivores like lions, cheetahs and hyenas. And even though it's sad to think about, it's important because it ensures that the zebra population is not growing out of control. For other organisms susceptible to predators like giraffes, and will the beast, the zebras provide good cover. So just like many other organisms native to a specific habitat, their existence is vital to the food chain. Some of the largest issues that zebras are facing right now are habitat loss, and poaching. And just less than a century ago, some zebras were on the brink of extinction. In 1937, there were only about 47 Cape mountain zebras left in existence. Because the population was so low, the South African government created mountain zebra National Park in order to help them recover. And since then, the population has rebounded, but it's nowhere near where it's supposed to be. And unlike the other two species, greggy zebra is considered endangered. There are only a little over 2000 individuals left in the wild. But of course there are always amazing people working to help them out. Some organizations that combat these problems that you should definitely go check out our the gravies zebra trust, Northern rangelands trust and the African Wildlife Foundation. Thank you so much for coming on this adventure with me. as we explore the world of zebras. You can find the sources that we use for this podcast and links to organizations that we reference at on wildlife.org. You can also email us with any questions at on wildlife dot podcast@gmail.com and you can also follow us on tik tok at on wildlife or on Instagram at on underscore wildlife. Don't forget to tune in next Wednesday for another awesome episode. And that's on wildlife.

Jess Avellino

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Transcribed by https://otter.ai