Zebra Facts

Zebras are part of the same family as horses. So a young one is called a foal, the same name as for baby horses.
They look different than a horse though, they are covered in beautiful black and white stripes.
The mother zebra, who is called a mare, carries her foal for about a year. About an hour after it is born, a zebra foal can stand on its long thin legs. It stays close to its mother until it is strong enough to run. The mother protects it from lions and other dangers.
Even when it is a year old, a zebra foal still likes its mothers milk. But some zebra mares have a foal every year, so the year old foal will have to make way for the baby and go on to eat what the adult zebras eat.
Each foal knows its own mother. They need to because they live in groups, called herds. A herd has one male zebra, the stallion. Then there are up to six mares and their foals. When one zebra starts to run, the rest run too.
The hair along a zebras neck stands up instead of hanging down like a horse’s mane. The neck stripes go right up into the mane.
Every zebra has its own special pattern which others recognize.

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