Did You Know?
- The Grevy’s Zebra is the largest wild equid species on the planet
- Unlike the Plains Zebra the Grevy’s species is more closely related to the Wild Ass than to the Horse
- This endangered species is only found in northern Kenya and south eastern Ethiopia
- A newborn Grevy’s Zebra is capable of walking just 20 minutes after birth and are able to run with the herd 60 minutes after birth
- The young zebra uses eyesight and smell to identify their loving mothers
A Major Reduction in Population
In the old days, the Grevy’s Zebra was found frolicking (okay, I am not sure if they were frolicking) through the plains and semi-arid areas of Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Eritrea and Kenya, however, as mentioned these beautiful creatures can only be found in northern Kenya and south eastern Ethiopia. Since 1988, the population of the Grevy’s Zebra has seen a reduction of about 55% and now is holding steady with a population of approximately 2400 wild animals. The main causes for this rapid decline include hunting, habitat degradation (especially the pollution of water sources), overgrazing and disease. Luckily the population is holding steady and with the actions of conservation groups, this number should start to increase over the next little while.
Socially Unorganized
While the Grevy’s Zebra is a social animal they do not seem to be very organized. What does it mean for a zebra to be unorganized? Well, for starters, their closets are a mess and they never finish things on time. Actually, the unorganized statement has more to do with the makeup of their herd than with their closets (obviously). You see while most herds have members that stay with the pack through thick or thin, the members of the Grevy’s Zebra herd come and go as they please. In fact, there are is probably a different mix of individuals every time you observe the wild herd. As you might expect with such a changing group, there is hardly any dominance associated to the members. Although, the resident male has been known to show dominance when it comes to finding a loving mate but who can blame the guy, right?
