Mountain zebra

They differ from the Burchel’s Zebra in that their stripes do not go under their stomachs, they have a dewlap, their faces have a brown colouration, the stripes on the body are closer together, no shadow stripes on the rump, tips of ears are rounded and they are found only in the Cape area.

 In the early 1930’s only 11 stallions and 7 mares remained and they were moved to a special reserve in order to preserve the species. By 1980, the herd had grown to 215 animals and has vastly increased since then with some being trans-located to other reserves.

 Where they occur, they are found in large groups and are active mainly during the early morning and late afternoons, resting up during the day. These groups are made of a few stallions with their mares.

 They are mainly grass grazers but will eat leaves when food is short, especially in the winter.

Females produce their first foal at about 5 years of age after a gestation period on 1 year.

Info: Mammals of the Southern African Subregion (Reay H.N. Smithers)