Page 99 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - South Africa

FIELD GUIDE  97

Mountain Zebra
Species: Equus zebra • Best Seen: Goegap,
Table Mountain
EN
The mountain zebra is a vulnerable
southern African endemic associated
with dryish mountainous habitats up to
2,000 m (6,562 ft) above sea level. Two
races are recognized, and regard ed by
some authorities as distinct species.
The Cape mountain zebra is a fynbos
endemic which was hunt ed close to
extinction in the early 20th century,
when the population bottlenecked at
below 100 individuals, but has since
bred up to an estimated population of
2,700. Hartmann’s mountain zebra is
near-endemic to Namibia, though a
small South African population is
protected within the Goegap Nature
Reserve outside Springbok. In most
respects, the mountain zebra is very
similar to the South African race of
plains zebra, from which it can be
distinguished by the absence of
shadow stripes, but it lives in smaller
core herds which never form larger
The Cape mountain zebra has no shadow stripes temporary aggregations.

The striping on a plains zebra reaches right under the belly
Plains Zebra
Species: Equus quagga • Best Seen: Kruger, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi, Sabi Sands
LC
More common than the mountain zebra, the plains zebra, or
Burchell’s zebra, is a grazer whose natural distribution ranges
from Ethiopia to the Cape. The plains zebra is often seen in
large ephemeral herds, but its core social unit is an aggressive ly
defended non-territorial herd comprising one stallion, up to five
mares and their respective foals. The purpose of the zebra’s stripes
is often cited as camouflage, breaking up the animal’s outline in
long grass, but this fails to explain their benefit in arid habitats.
It is more likely that the striping is visually confusing to predators
when the herd scatters. The quagga, a partially-striped Western
Cape endemic that was hunted to extinction in the early years of
colonialism, is thought to have been a race of plains zebra (hence
the Latin name Equus quagga).
Key to Field Guide icons see p72

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