Post #14438

Zebras: They don’t run from a lion, they fight! 5 Things Why Zebras Are Really Crazy Just cute striped horses? Yeah, no matter how it is! If you take a closer look, this is not natural camouflage, but a striped prison uniform! Zebras are one of the most reputed representatives of the equine family. In their herds, violence regularly occurs towards everyone: each other, the cubs, and predators. And sometimes their nervous system can’t stand it, and they themselves die... from stress. We have collected 5 of the most interesting facts about striped scumbags, get ready to break stereotypes. Fact number 1 - you cannot have mercy on murder. Why are zebras so cruel to their own kind? To answer this question, you will have to dig deeper and understand the social structure of ungulates. In appearance, a large herd appears to be one whole, but inside it is divided into several small coalitions. Savannah and mountain zebras have harems - groups of one male, several females and their cubs. Over time, the father removes the male foals from the group, and the youngsters form bachelor herds. Several harem and bachelor coalitions can migrate together, forming huge aggregations of hundreds or thousands of individuals, but each group maintains its own integrity and social boundaries. So, everything seems to be acceptable. Where are the fights and murders coming from? Firstly, sexually mature males of all zebra species fight mercilessly for the right to own a harem of females. They hit each other with their hooves, breaking bones, bite, leaving deep lacerations, and try to drop their opponent to the ground. After the skirmishes, the winner will become the new daddy, and the loser, weakened and beaten, risks being fed to the lions. For the third species, Grevy's zebras, things are a little simpler. There, males capture and protect a separate territory. Females with cubs travel freely across the savannah, crossing the territories of different stallions. However, their fights for possessions are no less severe than those of the other two species that fight for harems. Due to a change of stallion, a revolution occurs in the harem. The newcomer did not sacrifice himself in order to now observe the offspring of the previous male, so the foals become victims of his hooves and teeth. Unfortunately, females cannot save some babies. Fact number 2 - fight or flight. What do zebras choose? Any good documentary about Africa contains a spectacular scene when lions attack a herd of zebras and then feast in the shade of a baobab tree. Few people show footage of an unsuccessful hunt. When attacked by predators, zebras do not always take off and run wherever they look. In some situations they choose the BEAT! The main male of the harem or the entire herd together may decide to launch a counterattack, depending on the number, type of predators and the situation as a whole. The group surrounds the young and fights off the predator with hooves and sharp fangs.