# Zebra — Facts, Threats & Conservation

*Equus (subgenus Hippotigris) — Equus quagga, Equus zebra, Equus grevyi*

> A zebra is a striped African member of the horse genus Equus; there are three species — plains, mountain, and Grevy's — ranging from Near Threatened to the Endangered Grevy's zebra, of which fewer than about 2,000 mature animals survive.

**IUCN status:** Varies by species (Near Threatened to Endangered)  ·  **WARN range:** Kenya, Tanzania

## Quick facts
| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Lifespan | 20–30 years in the wild; up to ~40 in captivity |
| Weight | 175–450 kg (plains to Grevy's zebra) |
| Size | 1.1–1.6 m tall at the shoulder |
| Diet | Herbivore — mainly grasses (grazer) |
| Gestation | ~12–13 months (about 390 days in Grevy's zebra) |
| Young per birth | Usually a single foal |
| Baby name | Foal |
| Group name | A dazzle (also called a herd or zeal) |
| Top speed | Up to ~65 km/h (40 mph) |
| CITES | Grevy's & Cape mountain zebra Appendix I; Hartmann's mountain zebra Appendix II |

## Scientific classification
- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Mammalia
- **Order:** Perissodactyla
- **Family:** Equidae
- **Genus:** Equus
- **Subgenus:** Hippotigris (plains and mountain zebra); Dolichohippus (Grevy's zebra)
- **Species:** Equus quagga, Equus zebra, Equus grevyi

## Conservation status
- **Status:** Varies by species — Near Threatened (plains), Vulnerable (mountain), Endangered (Grevy's)
- **Population:** Plains zebra ~150,000–250,000 mature individuals; mountain zebra ~9,000 mature; Grevy's zebra fewer than 2,000 mature (~2,250 total)
- **Trend:** Plains zebra decreasing; mountain zebra increasing overall; Grevy's zebra recently stabilised after steep historic decline
- **Assessed:** 2016 (plains and Grevy's zebra); mountain zebra 2019
- **CITES:** Grevy's zebra and Cape mountain zebra: Appendix I; Hartmann's mountain zebra: Appendix II
- As a group page, the listed status reflects three separate IUCN assessments rather than a single figure; Grevy's zebra is the most threatened.

## Key facts: Zebra
- There are three zebra species — plains (Equus quagga), mountain (Equus zebra), and Grevy's (Equus grevyi) — not one.
- Conservation status varies sharply: the plains zebra is Near Threatened, the mountain zebra is Vulnerable, and Grevy's zebra is Endangered.
- Grevy's zebra has declined from roughly 15,000 animals in the 1970s to about 2,250 today, with fewer than 2,000 mature individuals.
- Every zebra has a unique stripe pattern, like a human fingerprint; no two are identical.
- Stripes likely deter biting flies and may help with temperature regulation and social recognition, rather than simple camouflage.
- Main threats are habitat loss, competition with livestock for water and grazing, fencing that blocks migration, and hunting for hides and meat.

## The three species of zebra
Zebras are not a single animal but three distinct species. The plains zebra (Equus quagga) is the most widespread and the one most safari-goers picture: medium-sized, with broad stripes that often carry faint brown 'shadow' lines between the black bands. The mountain zebra (Equus zebra), found in the rocky uplands of southern Africa, has a distinctive dewlap on its throat and a grid-like pattern on its rump. Grevy's zebra (Equus grevyi) is the largest and most horse-like, standing up to about 1.6 m at the shoulder, with narrow, closely spaced stripes, large rounded ears, and a white belly. Grevy's zebra is restricted today mainly to northern Kenya and small pockets of Ethiopia, which makes its decline especially serious.

## What zebra stripes are actually for
The purpose of zebra stripes is one of biology's long-running puzzles, and the evidence now points away from old ideas of camouflage against tall grass. The strongest experimental support is that stripes deter biting flies such as tsetse and horseflies, which struggle to land cleanly on the high-contrast pattern — important because those flies carry disease. Researchers have also proposed that stripes help with cooling, by setting up small air currents over the skin, and that they aid individual and social recognition within a herd, since each animal's pattern is unique. Several of these benefits may work together rather than there being a single 'reason' for stripes.

## Why Grevy's zebra is endangered
Grevy's zebra has suffered one of the steepest declines of any large African mammal. In the 1970s the global population was estimated at around 15,000 animals; today only roughly 2,250 remain, with fewer than 2,000 of them mature breeding adults. The causes are habitat loss and fragmentation, competition with domestic livestock for scarce water and grazing in arid rangelands, reduced access to water sources, and historic hunting for their striking skins. Because the species is now concentrated in a small area of Kenya and Ethiopia, local droughts and disease outbreaks can have an outsized impact. Plains and mountain zebras are in a stronger position overall, but plains zebra numbers are falling across much of their range as well.

## Behaviour, herds and life cycle
Plains and mountain zebras live in tight family groups led by a stallion, with mares and their foals, and these harems often gather into larger herds at water or on migration. Grevy's zebra is more loosely social, with males holding territories rather than permanent harems. A zebra foal can stand and run within an hour of birth — a vital defence against lions, hyenas and wild dogs — and is born brown and white before darkening with age. Gestation runs roughly 12 to 13 months depending on species, and a single foal is the norm. Zebras are grazers, feeding mainly on grasses, and can survive on coarser, drier vegetation than many of the antelopes they share the plains with.

## The three zebra species compared
| Species | Scientific name | IUCN status | Distinguishing feature |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Plains zebra | Equus quagga | Near Threatened | Broad stripes, often with faint brown shadow stripes; most widespread |
| Mountain zebra | Equus zebra | Vulnerable | Throat dewlap and grid-like rump pattern; rocky southern uplands |
| Grevy's zebra | Equus grevyi | Endangered | Largest; narrow stripes, big rounded ears, white belly; northern Kenya and Ethiopia |

## What WARN does
The zebra falls outside the five countries where the World Animal Rescue Network currently funds frontline projects — Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brazil and Colombia — so WARN does not run or fund zebra conservation programmes today. We publish this guide as free educational and search content that supports our broader mission: building global awareness of how habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict and the wildlife trade threaten species worldwide. The same pressures that endanger Grevy's zebra — shrinking habitat, fragmented landscapes and demand for wild animal products — are exactly what WARN's funded work tackles in its launch-stage countries. As the network grows, our priority remains being honest about where your donation goes.

Zebras live beyond the regions WARN currently funds, but the threats they face — vanishing habitat and the wildlife trade — are the same ones your gift fights every day. Support Habitat Protection to help WARN safeguard the wild places that endangered species depend on.

## Frequently asked questions: Zebra
### How many species of zebra are there?
There are three living zebra species: the plains zebra (Equus quagga), the mountain zebra (Equus zebra), and Grevy's zebra (Equus grevyi). A fourth, the quagga, was a subspecies of plains zebra that was hunted to extinction in the 1800s.

### Are zebras endangered?
It depends on the species. The plains zebra is listed as Near Threatened and the mountain zebra as Vulnerable, while Grevy's zebra is Endangered, with fewer than about 2,000 mature individuals remaining in the wild.

### Why do zebras have stripes?
The leading evidence suggests stripes mainly deter biting flies that carry disease, because the high-contrast pattern disrupts their landing. Stripes may also help with cooling and with recognising individual animals within a herd; pure camouflage is now considered unlikely.

### Is a zebra black with white stripes or white with black stripes?
Zebras are black with white stripes. Their skin underneath is black, and the white stripes form where pigment is suppressed during development, so black is effectively the base colour.

### Are zebras and horses the same thing?
They are close relatives in the same genus, Equus, but they are different species. Zebras cannot be domesticated like horses; they are more skittish and aggressive, which is one reason they were never widely tamed for riding or work.

### How fast can a zebra run?
Zebras can reach speeds of around 65 km/h (about 40 mph) in short bursts, fast enough to outpace many predators, and they use sharp kicks and zig-zag running to escape lions and hyenas.

## Sources
- [IUCN Red List — Plains zebra (Equus quagga)](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/41013/45172424)
- [IUCN Red List — Grevy's zebra (Equus grevyi)](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/7950/89624491)
- [IUCN Red List — Mountain zebra (Equus zebra)](https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/7960/45171906)
- [Wikipedia — Zebra](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zebra)
- [Wikipedia — Grévy's zebra](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gr%C3%A9vy's_zebra)
- [Britannica — Zebra](https://www.britannica.com/animal/zebra)
- [San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance — Zebra](https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/zebra)

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Full guide: https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/zebra