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The Zebra |
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The Zebra |
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Small and donkey-like, these zebras typical stand only 11 or 12 hh, and are smaller than the rest of the zebra family. They range from the dry upland plains in southwest Africa to the mountain ranges along the Namid desert. They are among the so-called untamable zebras, exhibiting Type 1 behavior. These are attractively marked with a noticeable grid-like stripe pattern on their rumps. They also have a fist-sized dewlap on the neck with serves no apparent function. Some believe only the males develop this dewlap, while others maintain that both males and females have them. Called "wildeperde" by the Boers, it barely escaped extinction against the Boer hunters by taking refuge in the mountain caves to hide until danger of hunters and bad weather passed. The Craddock Mountain Zebra National Park was created by the South African government as a sanctuary for its preservation. These zebras do not keep well in zoos and only very rarely breed there.
There are two types of mountain zebra. Cape mountain zebras are found in the Cape province of South Africa. Having wide black or brown stripes over every part of its body, except the belly and thighs, stripes of the face from below the eye to the nose are a reddish-brown color with two patches at the nostrils of the same color. The mane is short and a finely chiseled head is graced by a cinnamon-brown nose and medium-length ears. This is the smallest of the zebras, and has a stocky build, and resembles the ass more than the horse in conformation. Cape mountain zebras once were found at the tip of Africa at the Cape of Good Hope and Angola, but they are now practically extinct, and can only be found by diligently seeking in the less accessible mountain regions.
Hartmann's zebra is similar to the Cape zebra in conformation, but is slightly larger with broader white stripes on the haunches, giving the appearance of being much whiter. It has long narrow hooves to insure good footing in the rocky terrain in the mountain ranges of western Southwest Africa where it is limited to the mountains near the coast. While it is more fortunate than the Cape zebra, its populations have dropped rapidly due to competition with domestic livestock for food and water. It does still occur in large numbers throughout most of its range.
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© 1997-2007
NW Breyer Horse Club & Refiner of Gold Creations Equinealities in place since 1997, Section in place 2001, Updated 3/13/2007 |
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