Essay on The Zebra
The zebra is an African wild animal like a horse. It belongs to the horse family. It has black and white lines on its body. The unique stripes of zebras make them one of the most familiar animals among men.
The zebras came into existence before 4 million years. Their stripes come in different patterns, depending on the individual zebra. They are usually social animals as they live in small or large herds. They have never been tamed by men unlike their closest relatives like horses and donkeys.
There are three types of zebras. They are the plain’s zebra, the grevy’s zebra, and the mountain zebra. The plain’s zebra is the most common. The mountain zebra of Africa has a smooth coat, a white belly, and narrower stripes compared to the plain’s Zebra. The grevy’s zebra is the largest type. It has a long and narrow head. It appears like a mule. It is an inhabitant of the grasslands of Ethiopia and Kenya. The grevy’s zebra is the rarest type and is in danger of extinction.
Mountains, grasslands, forests, hills, etc. are some of the important habitats where zebras live.
They feed almost on grasses. Occasionally they eat shrubs, herbs, twigs, leaves, and bark. Their digestive systems allow them to live on diets of lower nutritional value. Like horses, zebras sleep standing up. They only sleep when neighbor zebras are around to warn them of enemies.
Generally, zebras are slower than horses but are full of energy. When their enemy chases them, they zigzag their way from one side to another. This makes it difficult for the enemy to catch them. When they are trapped, they kick or bite the attacker.
Male zebras are slightly bigger than females, The plain’s zebra is about 6 to 8.5 feet long. Its tail is about 18 inches. Each zebra can weigh up to 350 kilograms.
The zebras have excellent eyesight. Like most animals, their eyes are on the sides of their head. This gives them a wide-angle of view. They also have night vision. That means they can see at night, although not as good as that of most of their attackers.
Zebras have brilliant hearing abilities and have larger ears. They can turn their ears in almost any direction. In addition to good eyesight and hearing ability, they have a sharp sense of smell and taste.
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