Cape+Mountain+Zebra

Cape Mountain Zebra By Jordan Springer When one thinks of African animals, the zebra is usually one of the first to come to mind. Although the Cape mountain zebra (//equus zebra zebra)// is lesser known than the popular Grevy’s zebra, it is a zebra nonetheless. The Cape mountain zebra has broad, vertical stripes along its flanks, going from its back hips to its very snout. Their numerous black stripes are thicker than those of most other zebras. Its legs have horizontal striping from the top of its legs to the hooves, and the back pair of legs has larger stripes than the front. Where these two stripe types meet, on the top of a zebra’s rear, they form a grid-like pattern. Also, although their muzzles are the same black, the stripes, from just behind the snout to the eyes, are orange-colored. Cape mountain zebras also have short manes that stick straight up and tails; the tails have the grid pattern of the rear, whereas the manes have a vertically striped pattern. Interestingly enough, Cape mountain zebras are like snowflakes in that none of them have the same patterning. They also have large ears that are black around the edges and white at the tops on the front. On the back, they are white at the bottoms and the tops and black in between. Finally, one of the most recognizable features of the Cape mountain zebra is the dewlap, a bit of skin that sags from the neck of the animal. The Cape mountain zebra is a subspecies of the Mountain zebra, with the Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra being the other subspecies. Cape mountain zebras usually travel in groups, as they are social animals. There are two types of groups: bachelor groups and breeding groups. Bachelor groups are made up of mostly male and a sometimes female zebras that are not part of a breeding herd, and make up about one fifth of all Cape mountain zebras. These groups, unlike the other type of group, don’t have a social hierarchy. Bachelor groups also will join breeding herds for short amounts of time. Breeding herds have one main male, or stallion, along with usually five females and their children. The stallion is the leader of the herd, and fighting, usually in the form of kicks or bites, ensues when another male truly attempts replace him. He also defends the herd from any danger. However, this is rare, as an attempt by a bachelor to take over the herd often results in them sniffing each other and the bachelor backing down. If two breeding herds run into each other, the stallions will attempt to intimidate each other before going back to their herds. Breeding increases in the summertime, and as gestation lasts about a year, many foals are born in the summer. Females usually go two years between giving birth. After it’s born, a young zebra stays at the side of its mother, as she will protect it. Grooming is common between mothers and their young and is important in the relationship. As it is a mammal, Cape mountain zebra mares feed their young milk that they produce. Both feeding and grooming are started by the foal. It starts being weaned at ten months. At about twenty-two months, the foal will leave its herd to join a new group or be solitary before finding a new group. In some species, young animals are actually forced to leave their family or groups. This is not the case in Cape mountain zebras, as the stallion of the herd will actually try to prevent foals from leaving. Cape mountain zebras live in the Karoo area, in the Mountain Zebra National Park, and in the Gamka and Kamanassie Mountains. Their name comes from the fact that they used to have populations in the Eastern and Western Cape areas, but they were driven out. Cape mountain zebras live in mountainous or high areas with plenty of vegetation. They’re grazers, eating plants that are four to eight centimeters off of the ground, feeding during three times throughout the day. Their primary food is Kangaroo Grass, a thin type of grass. The three times are: a little after dawn, a few hours before noon, and sometime in the afternoon to sundown. Cape mountain zebras also drink water straight from the source, whereas the Hartmann’s zebra does not. They also use mineral licks, which they use to obtain nutritional supplements that their diet does not. These zebras also are victimized by many parasites, particularly ticks. They also fall prey to many of the large animals of Africa, such as the wild dogs and the big cats. In the past, they were hunted for their skins, as well as because they would take resources intended for domestic animals. They had to be protected from the 1930’s on to prevent them going extinct. Currently, they face disease and lack of genetic diversity. The loss of genetic diversity would be caused by them breeding with the Hartmann’s zebra, meaning that the individual’s genes wouldn’t be going towards the Cape mountain zebra population. Cape mountain zebras, like many animals, face loss of habitat to farmland. Despite this, they are listed as vulnerable by the IUCN.