Year of the Horse- Grevy’s Zebra

Day #14 (1/28/2014) Year of the Horse- Grevy’s Zebra…

      We back up our trunk and left before snow came to HQs!  Edmond was so excited he could hardly contain himself. The E&E plane headed to East Africa to find a large member of the Equid family; in fact it’s the largest member of the family! We had to pack our desert gear and loads of mud SPF 50! Edmond really wanted to don some stripes so he could blend in, but I talked him out of it.

Their range and habitat: East Africa/desert, grassland

Their length/weight: 8 ¼- 9 ¾ ft/ 700-900 lb    Their status: endangered

They are herbivores (grasses, scrubs)

Grevy’s Zebras are the largest species of zebra.

They have white on their bellies, the base of their tales and on their rumps.

Grevy’s zebras have a distinctive black stripe down their back.

Male grevy’s zebras occupy a large territory- up to 4 square miles. This is the largest territory of any herbivore on earth.

Grevy’s zebra foals can stand up 6 minutes after birth.

We had such a wonderful afternoon watching the herd we found. Edmond wanted to go over and hang out with them, but I convinced him to let them be wild! The males were so amazing to watch as the marked their territory. Our guide told us that there are some great conservation groups working to increase the numbers of these amazing animals! Go Zebra’s Go!!

-Ellie