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Damara Zebra

Equus quagga antiquorum

Range

eastern and southern Africa

Habitat

savannah grasslands

Distinguishing Characteristics

They are one of several subspecies of plains zebras. Damara zebras are unique among the plains zebra subspecies because of their “shadow stripes,” which are thinner gray lines alongside the black stripes. As with all zebras, no two sets of stripes are the same, being as unique as a human fingerprint.

Dietary Classification

Diet in the Zoo: grasses, hay, assorted browse

Diet in the Wild: grasses, leaves, bark, twigs

Life Span

over 20 years

Behavior/Adaptations

Very social animals that live in permanent family groups made up of a stallion and one to several mares and their foals. When threatened, the herd will huddle together in a group, and if attacked, will kick and bite. A zebra can kill a predator, such as a lion, leopard or cheetah, with a kick.

They have exceptional hearing and eyesight. When a threat is perceived, a zebra will run and can reach speeds up to 40 mph. The plains zebra has a bark quite unlike the neigh of a horse or the bray of a donkey. Their alarm signal is a yelping bark.

Status

Damara zebras are not endangered, but the population is thought to be in decline.

Classification

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family	Genus	Species
Animalia	Chordata	Mammalia	Perissodactyla	Equidae	Equus	quagga