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| | Zebras (Lat. Hippotigris): subgenus of genus horse, including species such as Plains zebra, Grevy's zebra and Mountains zebra. Hybrid between zebras and domesticated horses are called Zebroids and between zebras and donkeys -- Zebrules.
Features and classification:
Despite the general black-and-white stripe features, all the three species of zebras, amongst themselves, do not look like close relatives than with regard to other horse species. For extinct Quagga Zebra subspecies of Plains zebra, stripes were limited only to cervical region, at the same time, as some other absolutely unrelated species, also show inclination to formation of stripes on legs, for example okapi.
In evolutionary relationship, stripes, possibly, act as camouflage mechanism against tsetse flies, whose eyes do not perceive frequency of similar color. According to other hypothesis, stripes are also good masking from predators as due to the presence of stripes, it is difficult to assess the body outlines of an animal.
Habitat:
Initially zebras were widespread across entire Africa. In North Africa, zebras were liquidated even in ancient times.
For frequently found Plains zebras, natural habitat include south of Sudan and Ethiopia, savannah of East Africa and upto south of African continent. Grevy's Zebras are found in arid savannahs of East Africa, in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia. Mountains zebras are the least widespread species; its habitation is limited to high-mountainous plateaus of Namibia and Republic of South Africa, where they are found at heights of upto 2000 m.
Interesting facts:
* Actually zebra - white in black stripes or the other way round;
* Each zebra has unique picture from black and white stripes, like finger prints of a person. According to the picture, cub zebra can identify its mother.
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Zebra's distinct black and white stripes provided it with camouflage and survival for thousands of years. When zebra stands in high grass, its vertical stripes make the animal practically invisible for Zebra's main predator, lion, which is color blind. Zebras standing together in a herd also make it hard for predators to differentiate between individual animals when picking the one to attack.
Zebra's stripes have inspired many effective and creative designs - for instance the famous "zebra crossing" is even named after the zebra's black and white stripes.
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