Grant's zebra (Equus quagga boehmi ) is the smallest of the seven subspecies of the plains zebra. This subspecies represents the zebra form of the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem.
This northern subspecies is vertically striped in front, horizontally on the back legs, and diagonally on the rump and hind flanks. Shadow stripes are absent or only poorly expressed. The stripes, as well as the inner spaces, are broad and well defined. Northerly specimens may lack a mane. Grant’s zebras grow to be about 182 to 243 cm (6-8 ft) long and 120 to 140 cm (3.9 to 4.6 ft) tall, and generally weigh about 300 kg (660 lb). The zebras live in family groups of up to 18 zebras, and they are led by a single stallion. Grant’s zebras typically live 20 years.
The distribution of this subspecies is in Zambia west of the Luangwa river and west to Kariba, Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, north to the Kibanzao Plateau, and in Tanzania north from Nyangaui and Kibwezi into southwestern Kenya as far as Sotik. It can also be found in eastern Kenya and east of the Great Rift Valley into southernmost Ethiopia. It also occurs as far as the Juba River in Somalia.
Zambia is an ideal place for zebras. These animals prefer living in savanna woodlands and grasslands; they are not found in deserts, wetlands, or rainforests. The mountain variety lives in rocky mountainous areas. Unfortunately, the availability of habitat for all species of zebras is shrinking, resulting in population decline.
Grant's Zebras, like many other zebras, are highly social creatures, and different species have different social structures. In some species, one stallion guards a harem of females, while other species remain in groups, but do not form strong social bonds. They can frequently change herd structure, and will change companions every few months.
Zebras are exclusively herbivorous, meaning that they only eat plants. Their diet is almost entirely made up of grasses, but they also eat leaves, bark, shrubs, and more.
Like all members of the horse family, zebras spend more time feeding than ruminant herbivores, such as antelope and wildebeest do. This is because horses, including zebras, do not chew the cud. Instead the cellulose in their food is broken down in their caecum. (The caecum is a blind ended sac at the far end of their small intestine). This is not as efficient as the method used by ruminants but is more effective at breaking down coarse vegetation. Hence although zebras must feed for longer each day than antelope and wildebeest do, they can consume grasses and other plants with higher fibre content or lower protein levels than ruminants can digest.
Female zebras can have one foal per year. Their gestation period is around 360 – 395 days long, depending on the species. The mother will protect her foal, and it can stand, walk, and run shortly after birth. This is especially important, as foals are vulnerable to predators. Foals will nurse from their mother for up to one year before being weaned.
