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on foot on a bush walk, a small herd of zebra (30 - 40) took flight running
parallel to us 75-100 yards away, yet you could still feel the drumming
of their hooves through the soles of your shoes; a truly remarkable sensation.
Zebras live in patriarchal herds with one stallion zebra and up to six mares
and their foals. The foals can stand on their own long thin legs about an
hour after birth. The hair along their necks stands up instead of hanging
down like a horse's mane, which add to their distinctive look. The neck
stripes go right up into the mane. Like the giraffe, every zebra has its
own special pattern which others recognize. These are Burchell's zebra,
the most common, with about 300,000 of them living wild throughout all of
Africa. A little bird, called a fork-tailed drongo, often travels with them,
sitting on the zebra's back and eating the insects kicked up by its hooves.
Young males live together in groups until they start a herd of their own.
When competing for a young female, the stallions will bite and kick one
another, but don't fight to the death. When one has had enough, he lowers
his head and trots away. Most of the time zebras get along well together.
They also get along well with other animals and can be seen drinking along
side a kudu or a giraffe at a water hole. Zebras, like lions and other species,
are caninistic; when a new dominant male takes over a herd of zebras or
pack of lions, they kill all the existing young. Only wild dogs will adopt
young from outside the pack. In the bottom right photo a foal is nursing
as mom cautions us with her eyes and posture. The picture at bottom left
is one of my personal favorites from the entire trip; the lone zebra staring
at the car heading off into the distance. One of those moments when the
creature is completely personified. Our guide on a night drive, a round-faced,
warm and open black man named Isaac was asked if zebras were black with
white stripes or white with black stripes. His jolly, matter-of-fact reply
was, "Why, black with white stripes of course. In Africa, black always
comes first." |
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