Steppe zebra

Steppe zebra

We are delighted that Joachim Filk has taken over the sponsorship of the drinking zebra. Thank you very much!

Plains zebra

The plains zebra lives in East and South Africa and, with an estimated 500,000 individuals, is the most common of the three zebra species. However, population numbers have declined by 25% in the last 15 years and the vast majority of animals now live in protected areas. Traditionally, six subspecies of the plains zebra were distinguished according to body size and stripe pattern. The northern plains zebras are smaller and have rather broad white stripes, the southern plains zebras are larger, have fewer and narrower white stripes and so-called "shadow stripes" appear - yellowish-grey stripes in the white stripes. However, these differences are gradual; genetic studies have shown that all plains zebras - including the extinct quagga - belong to the same species.

Steppe zebras live in family groups with one stallion, several mares and their foals. Several such family groups can join together to form larger herds. They eat almost exclusively grass and can be found in all African habitats, with the exception of rainforest and desert. An outstanding characteristic of the plains zebra is its migration in search of the best grazing grounds or waterholes. With their excellent sense of direction, they can cover long distances (sometimes up to 35km/day) very effectively.

The origin of the steppe zebras in our show collection is different. The foal died in Helsinki Zoo in 1971, one stallion came from Cologne Zoo in 1938, the drinking mare from Zimbabwe in 1997 and the second stallion was bought in South Africa in 1997.