The mountain zebra (Equus zebra) is a zebra species in the family Equidae, native to southwestern Africa. There are two subspecies, the Cape mountain zebra (E. z. zebra) found in South Africa and Hartmann's mountain zebra (E. z. hartmannae) found in south-western Angola and Namibia.

Taxonomy

The mountain zebra comprises two subspecies:

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! Image !! Subspecies !! Distribution

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|150px|| Cape mountain zebra (E. z. zebra)|| Western and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa.

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|150px|| Hartmann's mountain zebra (E. z. hartmannae)|| south-western Angola and western Namibia.

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In 2004, C. P. Groves and C. H. Bell investigated the taxonomy of the zebras (genus Equus, subgenus Hippotigris). They concluded that the mountain zebra (Equus zebra zebra) and Hartmann's mountain zebra (Equus zebra hartmannae) are distinct, and suggested that the two would be better classified as separate species, Equus zebra and Equus hartmannae.

However, in a sexual genetic study that included 295 mountain zebra specimens, Moodley and Harley (2005) found nothing to support the separation of the two mountain zebra populations into separate species. They concluded that the Cape mountain zebra and Hartmann's mountain zebra should remain as subspecies.

This is consistent with the third edition of Mammal Species of the World (2005), which lists the mountain zebra as a single species (Equus zebra) with two subspecies.

Appearance

thumb|left|A [[Hartmann's mountain zebra with a Barbary sheep behind it, in captivity at Ueno Zoo, Japan]]

thumb|left|Hartmann's mountain zebra resting, showing its characteristic essentially unbarred belly

The mountain zebra has a dewlap, which is more conspicuous in E. z. zebra than in E. z. hartmannae. Like all extant zebras, mountain zebras are boldly striped in black or dark brown, and no two individuals look exactly alike. The whole body is striped except for the belly. In the Cape mountain zebra, the ground colour is effectively white, but the ground colour in Hartmann's zebra is slightly buff.

Adult mountain zebras have a head-and-body length of and a tail of long. Wither height ranges from . They weigh from .

Groves and Bell found that Cape mountain zebras exhibit sexual dimorphism, females being larger than males, whereas Hartmann's mountain zebras do not. Other grasses consumed include Cymbopogon pospischilii, Heteropogon contortus, Setaria sphacelata, and Enneapogon scoparius.

They drink every day. When no surface water is available due to drought, they commonly dig for ground water in dry river beds.

The Cape mountain zebra and Hartmann's mountain zebra are now allopatric, meaning that their present ranges do not overlap, which prevents them from crossbreeding. This was not always so, and the current situation is a result of their populations being fragmented when hunters exterminated them throughout the Northern Cape Province of South Africa. Historically, mountain zebras could be found across the entire length of the escarpments along the west coast of southern Africa and in the fold mountain region in the south. However, they generally inhabited poorly productive land and were nowhere really numerous in comparison to those species of zebras or antelope that inhabited the plains, for example.

Threats

The main threats to the species are the loss of habitat to agriculture, hunting, and persecution. Poaching for food (for example, during guerrilla fighting) has decreased their numbers.

Though both mountain zebra subspecies are currently protected in national parks, they are still threatened. The European Zoos Endangered Species Program and co-operative management of zoo populations worldwide have been set up for them.

See also

  • Mountain Zebra National Park
  • Protected areas of Namibia#section Naukluft Mountain Zebra Park
  • Quagga
  • Table Mountain National Park#Table Mountain section

References

Further reading

  • Duncan, P. (ed.). 1992. Zebras, Asses, and Horses: an Action Plan for the Conservation of Wild Equids. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN/SSC Equid Specialist Group.
  • Hrabar, H. & Kerley, G. I. H. 2009. "Cape Mountain Zebra 2009 Status Report". Centre for African Conservation Ecology Report 59:1–15.