Grant's zebra (''Equus quagga boehmi'') is the smallest of the seven
subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
of the
plains zebra
The plains zebra (''Equus quagga'', formerly ''Equus burchellii''), also known as the common zebra, is the most common and geographically widespread species of zebra. Its range is fragmented, but spans much of southern and eastern Africa south o ...
. This subspecies represents the zebra form of the
Serengeti
The Serengeti ( ) ecosystem is a Geography of Africa, geographical region in Africa, spanning northern Tanzania. The protected area within the region includes approximately of land, including the Serengeti National Park and several game res ...
-
Mara ecosystem and others across central Africa.
Distribution
![Grant's_Zebras,_resting,_Serengeti](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Grant%27s_Zebras%2C_resting%2C_Serengeti.jpg)
This subspecies is distributed in
Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...
west of the
Luangwa river west to
Kariba,
Katanga Province
Katanga was one of the four large provinces created in the Belgian Congo in 1914.
It was one of the eleven provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 1966 and 2015, when it was split into the Tanganyika Province, Tanganyika, Hau ...
of the
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
, north to the Kibanzao Plateau, and in
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
north from Nyangaui and
Kibwezi
Kibwezi is a town in Makueni County, Kenya.
Kibwezi town is the headquarters of Kibwezi division, one of 15 administrative divisions in Makueni County. The division has a population of 80,236, of whom 4,695 are classified urban. The division has ...
into southwestern
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
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as far as Sotik. It can also be found in eastern Kenya and east of the
Great Rift Valley
The Great Rift Valley is a series of contiguous geographic trenches, approximately in total length, that runs from Lebanon in Asia to Mozambique in Southeast Africa. While the name continues in some usages, it is rarely used in geology as it ...
into southernmost
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
. It occurs as far as the
Juba River
The Jubba River or Juba River ( so, Wabiga Jubba) is a river in southern Somalia which flows through the autonomous region of Jubaland. It begins at the border with Ethiopia, where the Dawa and Ganale Dorya rivers meet, and flows directly sout ...
in
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
.
Upper Zambezi zebra
Duncan (1992)
[Duncan, P. (ed.). 1992.''Zebras, Asses, and Horses: An Action Plan for the Conservation of Wild Equids''. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN/SSC Equid Specialist Group.] recognized the Upper Zambezi zebra (''Equus quagga zambeziensis''
Prazak, 1898). Groves and Bell (2004)
[Groves, C.P. & Bell, H.B. 2004. "New Investigations on the Taxonomy of the Zebras Genus ''Equus'', subgenus ''Hippotigris''". ''Mammalian Biology''. 69: 182-196.] came to the conclusion that the zebras from
West Zambia and
Malawi
Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...
cannot be distinguished cranially and that they differ only slightly from other northern plains zebras. The minor size difference does not justify a separate subspecific status for the Upper Zambezi zebra. Therefore, they combine these zebras with Grant's zebra (''Equus quagga boehmi'').
Characteristics
![Grant's Zebra Lakeland, Florida](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/Grant%27s_Zebra_Lakeland%2C_Florida.jpg)
This northern subspecies is vertically striped in front, horizontally on the back legs, and diagonally on the rump and hind flanks. Shadow stripes are absent or only poorly expressed. The stripes, as well as the inner spaces, are broad and well defined. Northerly specimens may lack a mane. Grant’s zebras grow to be about 182 to 243 cm (6–8 ft) long and tall, and generally weigh about .
The zebras live in family groups of up to 18 led by a single stallion.
Grant’s zebras typically live 20 years.
Regional extirpations
Recent civil wars in the
Congo,
Rwanda
Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...
,
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
,
Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
,
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
, and
Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...
have caused dramatic declines in all wildlife populations, including those of Grant’s zebra. It is now extirpated from
Burundi
Burundi (, ), officially the Republic of Burundi ( rn, Repuburika y’Uburundi ; Swahili language, Swahili: ''Jamuhuri ya Burundi''; French language, French: ''République du Burundi'' ), is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley at the ...
. Civil war in
Angola
, national_anthem = " Angola Avante"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capital = Luanda
, religion =
, religion_year = 2020
, religion_ref =
, coordina ...
during much of the past 25 years has devastated its wildlife populations, including its once-abundant plains zebra, and destroyed the national parks administration and infrastructure. Consequently, Grant's zebra is probably extinct or nearly so in Angola, although confirmation will have to wait until future surveys are conducted.
More Grant’s zebras are in the wild than any other species or subspecies of zebras. Unlike Grevy and mountain zebras, they are not endangered.
Grant’s zebras eat the coarse grasses that grow on the African plains, and they are resistant to diseases that often kill cattle,
so the zebras do well in the African savannas. However, recent
civil war
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
s and political conflicts in the African countries near their habitats has caused regional extinction, and sometimes zebras are killed for their coats, or to eliminate competition with domestic livestock.
[
]
Controversial Burchell's zebra introductions in Grant's zebra historical range
From 2001 until 2016 the Kissama Foundation reintroduced wildlife in the Kissama National Park in Angola. The project was dubbed Operation Noah's Ark. Amongst the animals, such as blue wildebeest, waterbuck, Cape giraffe, bush elephants, oryx gemsbok, Livingstone eland, nyala and ostrich, were Burchell's zebras. And from 2017 until 2019 Wildlifevetsnamibia exported wildlife to the Democratic Republic of the Congo's capital city Kinshasa to introduce animals in Parc de la Vallée de la Nsele in partnership with Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature
The ''Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature'' (English; "Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation") is a Congolese governmental partner tasked with the protection and conservation of the Virunga National Park and Kahuzi-Biega Na ...
Amongst the animals were golden oryx gemsbok, impala, blue wildebeest, Kafue lechwe, nyala, blesbok, red hartebeest, southern white rhino, Angolan giraffe, bush elephants and Burchell's zebras. Both introductions are controversial since the park service bodies from both countries did not opt to obtain the native Grant's zebra
Grant's zebra (''Equus quagga boehmi'') is the smallest of the seven subspecies of the plains zebra. This subspecies represents the zebra form of the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem and others across central Africa.
Distribution
This subspecies is dis ...
from for example countries as Zambia, Tanzania or Kenya.
In northwest and northeast Angola the Grant's zebra has been extirpated. But a small population remains in the DRC's Upemba National Park
Upemba National Park is a large national park in Haut-Lomami, Lualaba Province & Haut-Katanga Province (formerly in Katanga Province) of the southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly Zaire.
Geography
At the time of the creation of Upem ...
. The DRC thus now has populations of two different subspecies.
Habitat
These animals prefer savanna woodlands and grasslands; they are not found in deserts, wetlands, or rainforests. The mountain variety lives in rocky mountainous areas. The availability of habitat for all species of zebras is shrinking, resulting in population decline.
Diet
Zebras are exclusively herbivorous
A herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example foliage or marine algae, for the main component of its diet. As a result of their plant diet, herbivorous animals typically have mouthpart ...
. Their diet is almost entirely made up of grasses, but they also eat leaves, bark, shrubs, and more.
Like all members of the horse family, zebras spend more time feeding than ruminant herbivores, such as antelope and wildebeest do. This is because horses, including zebras, do not chew their cud. Instead the cellulose in their food is broken down in their caecum
The cecum or caecum is a pouch within the peritoneum that is considered to be the beginning of the large intestine. It is typically located on the right side of the body (the same side of the body as the appendix, to which it is joined). The wo ...
. This is not as efficient as the method used by ruminants but is more effective at breaking down coarse vegetation. Hence although zebras must feed for longer each day than antelope and wildebeest do, they can consume grasses and other plants with higher fibre content or lower protein levels than ruminants can digest.
Behavior
Grant's zebras, like many other zebras, are highly social creatures. They can frequently change herd structure, and will change companions every few months.
Reproduction
Female zebras can have one foal per year. Their gestation period is around 360–395 days long, depending on the species. The mother will protect her foal, and it can stand, walk, and run shortly after birth. This is especially important, as foals are vulnerable to predators. Foals will nurse from their mother for up to one year before being weaned.
Gallery
File:Grants Zebras Florida.jpg, Mother and foal in Lakeland, Florida
Lakeland is the most populous city in Polk County, Florida, part of the Tampa Bay Area, located along Interstate 4 east of Tampa. According to the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau release, the city had a population of 112,641. Lakeland is a principal c ...
File:Equus quagga boehmi (couple).jpg, Near Chilanga, Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...
File:Grant's Zebra, fighting, Serengeti.jpg, Fighting, Serengeti
The Serengeti ( ) ecosystem is a Geography of Africa, geographical region in Africa, spanning northern Tanzania. The protected area within the region includes approximately of land, including the Serengeti National Park and several game res ...
, Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...
File:Grant's Zebra, pregnant again, Serengeti.jpg, Pregnant, Serengeti, Tanzania
File:Grant's Zebra in Ngorongoro Crater.jpg, Grant's Zebra inside Ngorongoro Crater
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area (, ) is a protected area and a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Ngorongoro District, west of Arusha City in Arusha Region, within the Crater Highlands geological area of northern Tanzania. The area is na ...
during the dry season.
File:AE petting zoo zebra.jpg, Grant's zebra in the Ark Encounter's Ararat Ridge Petting Zoo
References
Sources
*Moelman, P. D. 2002
''Equids: Zebras, Asses and Horses. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan''
IUCN/SSC Equid Specialist Group.)
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1369327
Zebras
Mammals of Kenya
Mammals of Tanzania
Mammals of Somalia
Mammals of Zambia
Mammals of the Democratic Republic of the Congo