PUNDAMILIA (striped donkey)

In my opinion, zebras are unique wild animals. Because.....
Zebras are beautifully characterized by their black and white strips. They are timid and shy animals which approach water with a great caution. Their sense of sight, smell and hearing are acute. For this reason, other species of animals such as wildebeests, Ostriches and gazelles frequently associate with them since zebras will alert them to signs of danger.

They are able to digest coarse grasses during the dry season while ruminants cannot. Therefore, ruminants will be thin and week while the zebras look fit and healthy. The secret is that zebras have a lot of worms/protozoa in their simple stomachs - these worms emit extra strong digestive enzymes which help break down the food. This is what we call a symbiotic affinity. The worms benefit by having food and shelter all year long. Likewise, zebras benefit by having the ability to digest food in a way that enables them to withstand more arid conditions and be fit and healthy all year-round.

During migration, zebras take the lead. They migrate for the purpose of finding water and green pasture are believed to be more intelligent than the wildebeests. They can remember the ways/routes easily and quickly and know which rivers are safe for them to cross. Wildebeests are believed to rely on zebras when on migration because of this. Nevertheless wildebeests can migrate without the zebras, but it seems to be a natural association. Both wildebeest and zebra rely on each other for the security and successes of their expeditions while on migration.

Zebras sleep for 7 hours of a day. They can sleep while standing as there is a locking muscle around the knee that makes it stiff and unmovable! When they want to walk, they unlock the muscle and release the leg to be free and ready for movement. When they are lying down to sleep, one herd member will be awake and standing to watch for any approaching danger/ predators.

Each zebra’s stripes are individually different like human finger prints. They recognize one another by using their stripes. You can identify a male from a female without observing their sexual organs. Males have canine teeth as weapons to fight off rivals and bite predators while females lack these canine teeth. Also, hind hooves of females are more slender and more pointed than those of males.

Males - Stallions.
Females - Mares
Calves - Foals.
Young virgin females - Fillies