Zebra

(Equus grevyi)

Live: Northern Kenya and southern and eastern Ethiopia

Habitat: Semi-desert areas, including  grasslands and dusty acacia savannahs

Diet: Tough grasses, but they also browse on leaves

Gestation: 13 months, and they give birth to a single foal

Longevity: In captivity they tend to live up to 20 years, in the wild a little less.

Status: Endangered

General: Males are highly territorial, claiming prime watering and grazing areas with piles of dung called middens. They generally live alone in their territories, except when females move through during the mating season. Non-territorial males travel together in groups of 2-6 animals. This social system differs from that of other zebras, which typically form female harems that live in one male's territory all year. During dry months, many Grevy's zebras migrate to greener mountain pastures, but males on prime territories often remain there year-round.

Fossils reveal that Grevy's zebras ranged at least to Egypt (and perhaps beyond Africa) until about 6,000 years ago. In historic times, Grevy's zebras were found in parts of Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. Due to hunting for their skins and for food, they no longer live in Somalia, and their range in Ethiopia and Kenya is reduced. The total wild population is probably fewer than 6,000 animals. Competition with domestic grazing animals, habitat destruction, and human disturbance at critical water holes contribute to their decline.