The Plains Zebra Essay, Research Paper

Deep ebony, blinding cream, these are the colors of the zebra. The zebra

is one unique animal. Zebras are one of the marvelous animals in Africa. About

the size of a small horse, these amazing animals are about 50-53 inches in

height. When a male zebra grows up, he can weigh up to 520 pounds! It’s a good

thing that the female zebra is friendly. It can weigh a whopping 510 pounds,

almost as much as the male! Zebras usually do not attack unless threatened

though, whew! The large animal, the zebra, mates all year round, but mostly

during the early rainy season. Eighteen male zebras battle it out with the

dominant male at that certain time to see who has the rights to mate with the

number one female. In three years, female zebras are able to mate, and the is

able when he is about five. Found mainly in the Southern Savanna, these hungry

zebras can also be found in the arid plains of eastern Africa. They are also

found in many national parks because hunters kill countless zebras for their

picturesque fur, much as the elephant for its tusks. During the day, zebras are

not as active as they are at night. The zebra easily adapts to just about

anything Africa can throw at them, from poachers to food shortage. Therefore,

one of the most successful herbivores in Africa. These friendly zebras main

predator is the lion. When attacked by a lion, the zebra makes it difficult to

eat just one zebra, so it is kind of "all for one, and one for all!"

as the Three Musketeers would say. Also, poachers present another problem.

People are trying to stop the hunting of endangered animals, but as long as

people have the right to bear arms, we will keep running into this horrible

problem. The poachers get a large sum of money for killing these poor,

defenseless, endangered animals, and selling their fur on the black market.

Zebras are Africa’s most brilliant painted horses. They are truly astonishing

animals. I think one should go see the zebras at the nearby Great Plains Zoo to

get a real idea of what they look like. Thanks for reading my report on an

extraordinary animal, The Plains Zebra.