Zebra

Zebras are single-hoofed animals that are native to Africa. Though they all live in Africa, each species of zebra has its own home area. Plain zebras live in the treeless grasslands and woodlands of eastern and southern Africa. The Grevy's zebra lives in the arid grasslands of Ethiopia and northern Kenya. The mountain zebra is found in South Africa, Namibia, and Angola.

They are very closely related to horses and donkeys; in fact, they are in the same genus, Equus. The most prominent feature of zebras is the bold patterns on their coats. According to the San Diego Zoo, zebras have white stripes next to black or brown stripes, with the stripes ending at their bellies and the white inner side of their legs. Zebras have black flesh beneath their white coats, though. The general pattern of stripes differs amongst zebra species. The zebra from Grevy has extremely fine stripes. The mountain zebra has horizontal stripes on its haunches but vertical stripes on its neck and chest. According to the San Diego Zoo, some subspecies of plains zebras exhibit brownish "shadow" stripes in between the black stripes.