The Plains zebra and the Mountain Zebra belong to the subgenus Hippotigris, but Grevy zebra is the sole species of subgenus Dolichohippus. The latter resembles an ass as the former two are additional horse like. Nevertheless, DNA and molecular data show that zebras do indeed have monophyletic origins. All three belong to the genus Equus along with other existing equids. In certain regions of Kenya, Plains zebras and Grevy zebras coexist.
The exclusive stripes and behaviors of zebras make these among the animals most familiar to people. Grevy zebra and the Mountain zebra are rare. While Plains zebras are much more plentiful, one subspecies, the quagga, went dead in the late nineteenth century. The name zebra comes from the Old Portuguese word zevra which means wild ass. Zebras were the second lineage to diverge from the initial proto horses, after the asses, around 4 million years ago. Grevy zebra is assumed to have been the first zebra species to appear.
The ancestors of the Equus horses are assumed to have been striped, and zebras must have retained the stripes of their ancestors due to their benefit for social animals in tropical environments. It is assumed to have been similar to the Grevy zebra. The animals had stocky zebra like bodies and short, tapered, donkey like skulls. Grevy zebra also has a donkey like cranium. The Hagerman horse is too called the American zebra or Hagerman zebra.
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Zebras are African equids best recognized for their distinctive white and black stripes. Their stripes come in dissimilar patterns exceptional to each individual. They are usually communal animals and can be seen in minute harems to outsized herds. In addition to their stripes, zebras have erect, Mohawk like manes. Unlike their neighboring relatives, horses and asses, zebras have never been really domesticated. There are three classes of zebra: the Plains Zebra, Grevy Zebra and the Mountain Zebra.
Zebras are African equids best recognized for their distinctive white and black stripes. Their stripes come in dissimilar patterns exceptional to each individual. They are usually communal animals and can be seen in minute harems to outsized herds. In addition to their stripes, zebras have erect, Mohawk like manes. Unlike their neighboring relatives, horses and asses, zebras have never been really domesticated. There are three classes of zebra: the Plains Zebra, Grevy Zebra and the Mountain Zebra.
