Random Crazy Facts About Plains Zebra (12 items)

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  (#1) Zebras Are Too Wild To Be Tamed

  From the point-of-view of these striped equids, domestication is for organisms who are boring, and ugly, and serious. Over the course of human history, zebras have proven difficult, nay, impossible, to tame. Their utter refusal to be broken not only is admirable, but also scientifically important. Living in the heavily predatory environment of Africa for millions of years lead to the zebra's aggressive behavior, a testament to the continent's accelerated rate of evolution. It appears cohabiting and competing with circle of life high-rollers like lions and leopards rubbed off on the herbivores, turning them into combative and resistant survivors.
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  (#2) Most Can Never Be Ridden

  A set of unique features and behaviors makes zebras pretty much impossible to ride. The zebra is the only horse with a ducking reflex, which allows them to effectively dodge a lasso. As such, saddling up a zebra proves to mostly be a futile endeavor. Additionally, zebras never exactly fit the ancient criteria for domestication, which is a long list that includes “people friendliness,” a trait zebras abandoned long ago. So while their equid cousins carried humans cross-country on their backs, zebras were left to openly graze and nimbly learn the lay of the land; because of this, they're not even a little bit intimidated by humans. Zebras also make common prey for lions, meaning your zebra steed is more of a trap than a form of transportation.
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  (#3) Zebra Foals Walk Within Minutes Of Being Born

  One of this wild equid’s awe-inspiring traits lies in its ability to grow from infancy to adulthood in under an hour, at least in respect to getting around. Astonishingly, a zebra infant, or foal, can walk within 15 minutes of its birth. By the time a full hour passes, that same foal will already begin running. Even with such an accelerated childhood, the foals face a 50% mortality rate. Those that survive have a lifetime of running ahead of them, so it's a good thing they receive such a head start.
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  (#4) They Travel An Average Of 1,800 Miles Every Single Year

  Zebras are wise to the fact that power exists in numbers. While journeying along the Savannah, they often join forces with other species such as wildebeests. They are one of the most well-traveled animals on Earth; their annual 1,800-miles trek is the longest of any land mammal in Africa.
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  (#5) Their Stripes Are The Fingerprints Of The Zebra World

  From providing camouflage to even functioning as a possible sunscreen, zebra stripes serve more than just aesthetic purposes. The black-and-white coloring helps disguise them from predators, and is believed to even repel blood-sucking insects. Most impressive of all, though, is how they work regarding identification, acting like a human's fingerprints. No two zebras have ever been found to sport the same set of stripes. Furthermore, you can tell a lot about a zebra by the pattern on its coat, such as which subspecies it stems from.
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  (#6) Zebras Sleep Standing Up

  Zebras get their zzz’s in large, defensive packs. Since they only require about 2-3 hours per day, the packs usually sleep in shifts. The zebra can sleep standing up due to its locking knees. Even in slumber, the zebra’s fight-or-flight instinct remains armed and ready to rip.
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  (#7) They Deliver Kicks That Would Bring Tears To The Eyes Of An MMA Fighter... Or A Lion

  In the jungle of life, some animals simply survive by escaping, preferring to run away rather than cause a raucous. While the zebra may be a grazing creature by nature, it is equipped with the necessary skills to deliver damaging, and in some instances, fatal blows. With a set of strong jaws and keen eyesight above that of most horses, the zebra possesses the traits needed to go head-to-head. But of the zebra’s many traits, one stands out above the others: its kick. A zebra’s kick can break a human jaw with ease and even kill lions on rare occasions.
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  (#8) Zebras Don't Bark, But They Do Bite

  Should it decide to fight, a zebra can and will lay it all on the line in order to win. In addition to kicking, a zebra will also bite. When traveling in packs during their rigorous migrations, zebras defend one another by encircling and then biting potential predators. A similar event occurred at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., where a zebra went berserk and proceeded to bite a zookeeper. The incident was so shocking that it literally scared a nearby gazelle to death.
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  (#9) Zebras Were To Roman Circuses What Elephants Are To Modern Circuses

  The ancient Romans certainly didn’t do much to earn the respect of the zebra population. In fact, they often used and abused them for entertainment purposes, much in the same way modern circuses use and abuse elephants. During the reign of Rome, zebras were hauled off to the coliseums where they were killed for sport in staged hunting shows. They also faced battles to the death with unwilling Roman prisoners. At the start of these barbarous stage plays, these beautiful wild horses were even forced to pull the chariots in a march to their almost certain demise.
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  (#10) There Are Human-Created Zebra Hybrids Called Zebroids

  If crazy zoo stories don't convince you of the zebra's victimization, then feast your eyes on the zebroid. Zebroids occur when scientists just have too much time on their hands and decide to start mixing and matching and mating animals in a Frankenstein-esque way. The end result is a funny looking, often infertile, dwarfed creature that doesn’t fit into regular zebra society, forced to live out its days in a cage.
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  (#11) Grevy's Zebras Are The Largest Equid On The Planet

  Standing at approximately 5'2" tall and weighing in at almost 1,000 pounds, the Grevy’s zebra is Earth’s largest equid. Its stripes create a wagon wheel effect that disorients predators. When combined with its mass and height, the genetic composition of the Grevy’s zebra results in a powerful animal that makes for tough prey.
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  (#12) Grevy’s Zebras Are Endangered And Their Population Has Declined 50% In The Last Two Decades

  Grevy's zebras, commonly found in Kenya, faces critical endangerment; its population has been in steady decline over the course of the past century. Habitat loss due to human intervention has been cited as the key underlying cause of their near extinction. Today, there are believed to be less than 2,500 Grevy’s zebras living in the wild. These majestic wild animals play a huge part in the local ecosystem and their very presence impacts insect populations as well, helping to balance out habitats. Fortunately, conservation efforts are underway.

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