Plains zebra

얼룩말

A savanna horse whose black-and-white stripes are as unique as a fingerprint. A foal can stand and run within an hour of birth, and herds join the great Serengeti migration with the wildebeest.

See it on the 3D globe →

At a glance

Class: Mammals
Lives in: Serengeti, Tanzania
Diet: Plant eater (herbivore)
Weight: about 280 kg
Length: about 2.7 m
Top speed: about 65 km/h
Lifespan: up to about 25 years
Conservation status: Near Threatened (IUCN NT)
Habitat: savannas, grasslands

Quick answers

Where does the Plains zebra live?

It lives in savannas, grasslands. On the globe you can find it near Serengeti, Tanzania.

How big is the Plains zebra?

It grows to about 2.7 m and 280 kg.

What does the Plains zebra eat?

Its diet: plant eater (herbivore).

How fast is the Plains zebra?

It can reach about 65 km/h.

How long does the Plains zebra live?

It can live up to about 25 years.

Is the Plains zebra endangered?

It is listed as Near Threatened (IUCN NT).

The plains zebra is the most common and widespread zebra. It lives across much of southern and eastern Africa south of the Sahara, in grasslands and savanna woodlands. It is medium-sized, bigger than the mountain zebra and smaller than Grévy's zebra.

It has broad black-and-white stripes, and the pattern varies a lot from one animal to the next. It is rated Near Threatened (since 2016), with populations stable overall but sharply down in most countries. It is the zebra you are most likely to see on a safari. It lives in groups and is often seen with wildebeest in the Serengeti.

Herd life

Plains zebras live in harems made up of one stallion, several mares and their young foals, and bachelor males form their own groups. Groups can join into bigger herds.

They watch for predators, barking or snorting when they spot one, and the stallion will attack a predator to defend his family. Its stripes are broad and no two animals have exactly the same pattern.

Why stripes?

Scientists think the stripes may keep biting flies away, as our card says. Predators such as lions, spotted hyenas and crocodiles hunt zebras.

Predators such as lions, spotted hyenas and crocodiles hunt zebras. The quagga, a zebra that died out in the 19th century, was long thought to be a separate species, but is now counted as part of the plains zebra. Plains zebras avoid deserts, dense rainforest and permanent wetlands.