Zebras are striped horse-like animals. They are a sleek, plump, and short-legged, with a short bristle-like mane that stands erect. The common plains zebra has varying degrees of brown shading between its stripes. The stripes help to keep zebras in close-knit groups. The zebra¿s tail differs from that of a horse in that only the end is haired.

Weight

230-270 kilograms.

Height

1.25 metres to the shoulder.

Length

1.35 metres (4.5 feet) head to tail.

Tail

The zebra¿s tail is 45 centimetres (1.5 feet) long and only the end of the tail is haired.

Speed

64 kilometres per hour.

Life Span

25-30 years.

Head

The head of the zebra is similar to that of a horse, but the zebra has comparatively longer ears and an upright, shorter, striped mane. Like horses, zebras have a keen sense of smell, sight and hearing. In their natural environment they can sense danger far off. The eye socket is protected by a complete ring of bone and both the eyes and ears are protected by hairs. Much of the size of the skull is taken up with the sense organs and the teeth. The zebra¿s brain is relatively small. Their voice is used to communicate.

Teeth

The zebra¿s permanent teeth start to appear at 12 months of age and the dentition is complete at 5 years old. The first upper premolar is a persistent milk tooth. This may be absent in females, as may the canines. The gap that exists in the dentition allows bulky grass to be manoeuvred in the mouth. The age of a zebra can be obtained by the number of teeth present and the wear of the incisors, a characteristic infolding which becomes more pronounced with age. The majority of the tooth row is strong premolars and molars, which are used for grinding vegetation. The incisors are used to cut and crop vegetation.

Body

The number of stripes on the body is an indication of which species a zebra belongs to. The stripes are highly characteristic for each individual and babies recognise their mother by her characteristic stripes (and smell). The stripes act as a camouflage in tall dry grass and scattered trees.

Front Limb

Zebras, like horses, stand on one ¿finger¿ tip, which is the third or middle digit. Remnants of the second and fourth digits though can be seen. Standing on tip-toe is an adaptation for running fast. The hoof covers the tip of the digit and the hoof grows continually as it is worn away. The ¿elbow¿ and ¿knee¿ joint is close to the body, while the ¿wrist¿ and ¿ankle¿ is the obvious joint in the middle of the leg. The stripes of the legs run horizontally, in contrast to those of the body, which are predominantly vertical.

Hind Limb

The same as the fore limb.