International Zebra Day: Top five facts about these striped animals

2023-02-05 -

January 31, 2023

On January 31, people around the world will be marking

International Zebra

Day – a special day to celebrate these

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Native to Africa, there are several species of zebra which can found in the wild in different countries across the FRQWLQHQW =HEUDV DUH VRFLDO DQLPDOV WKDW OLYH LQ ODUJH JURXSV called herds in a variety of habitats including savannahs, JUDVVODQGV DQG ZRRGODQGV

However, in some places zebras are under threat from habitat loss, climate change and poaching and the event also KLJKOLJKWV WKH LPSRUWDQFH RI SURWHFWLQJ WKHVH VWULSHG VSHFLHV

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1. There are three different species of zebra

There are actually three different species of zebra:

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2,500 Grévy’s zebras in the wild and the species has been listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of 1DWXUH

2. Every zebra has a different stripe pattern

Just as no two people have the same

ÀQJHUSULQW the same is true with zebras and their stripes

– each animal has its own unique stripe pattern!

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3. Some zebras have spots!

Zebras are most famous for their distinctive black-andwhite stripes, but did you know that not all of them are patterned LQ WKDW ZD\ Foals are actually born with brown and white stripes, which darken as they grow ROGHU

Zebras can also be affected by albinism, a rare genetic condition that results in little or no production of a pigment FDOOHG PHODQLQ ² ZKLFK FDXVHV WKHP WR GHYHORS JROGHQ VWULSHV

Although very rare, zebras have also been spotted with spots instead of stripes!

4. Zebras spend most of their day eating

Zebras are herbivores and feed mostly by grazing on grasses, leaves, shrubs and IDOOHQ IUXLW They have strong front teeth and special digestive systems which can breakdown highly ÀEURXV SODQWV twigs and even EDUN 7KH\ JUD]H IRU PDQ\ KRXUV HDFK GD\ RIWHQ VSHQGLQJ XS to 18 hours daily feeding in the wild!

They also are known to travel hundreds of miles in their KHUGV LQ VHDUFK RI PRUH IRRG DQG ZDWHU