Plains zebra

Description:

These two plains zebras spotted in the Siana Conservancy near the Masai Mara offered an interesting optical illusion. Like all zebras, plains zebras are striped in black and white and no two individuals show a striping pattern exactly alike. Extra shots show more of the plains zebra habitat and companion species.

Habitat:

Spotted in savanna woodlands. Most often found in treeless grasslands and savanna woodlands, at elevations of up to 4300m ASL. Distribution: from South Sudan and southern Ethiopia through Eastern Africa, to Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi and most southern African countries. Plains zebra is the most common and geographically widespread species of zebras. Unfortunately regionally extinct in Burundi and Lesotho.

Notes:

The fourth shot shows an adult zebra with three younger animals showing a browner coat; the natal coat of a zebra foal is brown and white. The zebra on the fifth shot is carrying some oxpeckers, which feed on the animal’s external parasites. On the last shot zebras are shown together with blue wildebeest, with which they often share pastures and migrations patterns. The first three shots were taken in the Siana Conservancy, the remaining ones in the nearby Masai Mara. In recent years several conservancies have been established around the Masai Mara. While the Mara itself is a reserve proper (a full wildlife sanctuary where no domestic animals or local settlements are allowed), in conservancies wildlife cohabits with local populations are their cattle. The wildlife roam freely across both the reserve and conservancy areas and form a continuous ecosystem. Find out more about the Siana Conservancy at: http://www.maasaimara.com/community-cons...