Chapman's Zebra

The Chapman's Zebra is a type of Friend that appeared first in Guidebook 1 Chapman's zebra is distinguished by its lighter brown lines between the black and white stripes. On the lower halves of the legs, which break up into many irregular brown spots. The pastern is not completely black on the lower half. When foals are born, they have brown stripes, and in some cases, adults do not develop the black colouration on their hides and keep their brown stripes. They like to roll around in the dust and rub their body and head against trees and rocks to help maintain their coats. Males usually weigh 270 to 360 kg and stand at 120 to 130 cm tall. Females weigh about 230 to 320 kg and stand as tall as the males. They are native to the savannah of north-east South Africa, north to Zimbabwe, west into Botswana, the Caprivi Strip in Namibia, and southern Angola. Chapman’s zebras live in herds of up to tens of thousands of individuals, which are made up of family groups and bachelors. Adult zebras live in harems with permanent members; consisting of one herd stallion, one to six females, and their offspring. The females stay in the same harems all their lives. Chapman's zebras basically feeds on grass, but it can also eat leaves and tender sprouts on occasion. Unlike most African herbivores, who only eat short grass, the zebra also feeds on higher grass, so its herds are the firsts to arrive to areas where seasonal rains have fallen recently. Chapman’s zebras are not territorial and in the wet season move over large areas, often associated with other ungulate species, but in the dry season, stay within a 10 km range of water. They have been known to live up to 38 years in captivity, opposed to 20 to 30 years in the wild.