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Zebra
Zebras are best known for their distinctive and trademark white and black stripes; they are so popular that they have pedestrian crossings named after them emblazoned with their distinctive palettes.
While on safari through the magnificent Kruger National Park, visitors can look forward to viewing nearly 29 000 members of Zebra sauntering and grazing through the park’s plains. These animals native to the African continent are generally sociable, but unlike their closest family consisting of horses and donkeys, zebras have never truly been domesticated. Zebras have excellent eyesight and it is believed that they can see colours; while their night vision isn’t as efficient as some predators, their incredibly good hearing compensates for this - zebras can even turn their ears to hear in any direction. Along with their superior hearing and eyesight, zebras are also known to have an acute sense of smell and taste.
Like most animal species, female zebras mature ahead of their male counterparts, with mares able to reproduce at the age of 3. Mares can give birth to one foal every 12 months and nurse their young up to a year; like horses, most zebra babies can stand and walk shortly after being born and tend to be brown and white at birth rather than black and white. These animals can communicate with one another through high-pitched barks and whinnying noises, and their ears are usually indicative of their moods, meaning that visitors can deduce what a zebra is feeling while observing them. When they are relaxed and friendly, their ears stand erect; when they are anxious or scared, their ears are pulled forward, and when they are angry, their ears pull backwards.
Like horses, zebras tend to sleep standing up and will only sleep if there are neighbours around to warn them about predators. A zebra standing up sleeping should prove to be quite a humorous spectacle for the Kruger Park’s curious observers.