Zebras are equids, a family of mamm

Zebras are equids, a family of
mammals and members of the horse
family, native to Africa. The word
“zebra” comes from the Portuguese
zevra, which means “wild ass.” One
can certainly see how the zebra
might have been mistaken for the
wild ass at first glance, since the
animals have similar body types.
Zebras are probably most famous for their distinctive striped coats,
which make them quite memorable animals.
In addition to being found in parts of Africa, zebras are also
held in captivity in zoos and conservation parks in many parts of the
world, for people who want to see these animals in person without
taking a safari trip. Several attempts have been made to domesticate
the zebra, with some animals being trained as riding or driving
animals. However, zebras appear to be too unpredictable and
flighty to fully domesticate, despite the best efforts of intrepid riders.
Instead, some people breed zebra hybrids, crossing full blooded
zebras with horses and other equids to produce more easily trained
and handled animals which retain the characteristic zebra stripes.
There are several different species of zebra, but all of them
are in the same genus,
Equus
, which they share with horses. Like
other equids, zebras are odd-toed ungulates with muscular bodies
which are built for running. Zebras were among the earliest animals
to split from the original equids, along with asses, and as a result,
they have had an extended period of time to adapt to the unique
challenges of the
African landscape.
These animals have very stout, muscular bodies which are
designed for immense speed and strength. When threatened, a
zebra can choose to run, often choosing a zig-zagging pattern to
distract the predator, or they can fight, using powerful jaws and
heavy hooves to attack their enemies. Like asses, zebras have
tufted tails, and they also have short, upright manes of coarse hair,
along with unusually large ears which give these animals a very
good sense of hearing.
Zebras are herbivores, eating grass, foliage, and various
shrubs. Depending on the species, a zebra may be adapted more
for the open plain, or for more heavily wooded and mountainous
areas. In all cases, zebras are very social animals, living in large
herds which are typically overseen by a single stallion. A zebra's
gestation period is 13 months, typically producing a single foal
which may join the herd when it reaches adulthood, or strike out
on its own to find another group of zebras.
The stripes of the zebra appear to have several functions. For
one thing, they distract and confuse predators, especially when
zebras are in a herd formation, because the stripes make it hard to
pick out an individual zebra. The stripes also appear to be unique
to each animal, allowing zebras to readily identify each other, and
they help to camouflage individual zebras, especially in wooded
areas, where the play of light and shadow allows the zebra
to blend.
There is some debate as to how to describe the zebra's
stripes. They are typically described as white animals with black
stripes, but zebras actually have entirely black skin. The most
common zebra mutations create animals which are darker, rather
than lighter. This proves that the zebra is actually black with white
stripes. While this might seem a bit pedantic, it can make a good
jumping-off point for ed debates at parties, if one feels so inclined.