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Namibia

Characteristics:
This species was named after the well-known traveller and naturalist, W.J. Burchell, who brought the original specimen from South Africa and presented it to the British Museum. Burchell's Zebra stand about 135 cm / 54 inch at the shoulder and have a mass of about 315 kg / 700 lb.. Horse-like appearance , no dewlap, short ears and upright neck mane.

Colouring:
Yellowish, white ore beige with broad, transverse, black strips on the hind parts. Stripes on the flanks extend down to the belly. Vertical strips on the croup. Frequently yellowish or greyish shadow strips between the black strips. Striping on the lower limbs may be incomplete or absent. Big, round, horse-like hooves. Foals have coarse body hair, especially on their backs, and the dark stripes have a brownish colour. In all the species that occur in the subregion no two individuals are exactly alike and, in any population, there are some that do not conform to the general pattern. Zebra interbreed with donkeys.

Habitat:
Open savanna plains and wood land savanna.

Occurrence:
Burchell's Zebra are endemic to the Kalahari and Etosha area. today, they occur on many farms through introduction.

Main food:
Predominantly grazers, but occasionally will browse. They feed on grass until it is very short. In general, they drink daily and depend strongly on water. Burchell's Zebra are therefore never far from water sources, unless they are moving to look for new feeding terrains.

Gestation period:
362 – 365 days.

Life-span:
About 20 years.

Habits:
Burchell's Zebra are gregarious, living in small family groups of 5 - 15 animals. During dry periods, larger aggregations of several families and bachelor groups are seen, associated with wildebeest.

Voice:
Characteristic bark. Whistling inhalations are followed by their characteristic trisyllabic vocalisations of "kwa-ha-ha".