The Zebra's Breeding Rituals

Breeding pair of Plains Zebra

One of the most noticeable of all mammalian species during an East African Safari is the Plains or Common Zebra.

For zebra stallions to create their little families known as Harems, they are reputed to become quite competitive and aggressive. Bachelor stallions can be seen fiercely kicking, biting, pushing and chasing other males when it comes choosing and gathering their mares who have reached reproductive maturity at about three to four years of age. Once a stallion has gathered a number of his mares and his harem has been formed, the family will generally remain together unchallenged by other stallions for a prolonged period of time.

After mating, the mares will gestate for about 12 months and deliver a single fawn who will be strong enough to walk and keep up with the harem within an hour of being born. Did you know that Zebra fathers are said to defend their sexually mature daughters by fighting off bachelor stallions until they deem one of them is worthy enough?

Comments

Lions Mating Up Close In Kenya

This lion and lioness are mating really close to the road.

The Unique Looking Guitar Fish

Guitar Fish resting on the sea bed One of the most interesting characteristics about the guitar fish is its unique body shape. It seemingly looks like a cross between a shark and a ray - with its flattened ray like head yet it has a long shark like body with dorsal fins - but this fish is actually a classification of its own and has about 50 subspecies. The guitar fish prefers to remain tranquil on the sea bed, partly covering itself with sand to camouflage itself for any unsuspecting prey such as crabs or small fish that may come past it. Reaching sizes of approximately two meters in length, they are quite docile so can easily be approached by underwater photographers.

The Roughness Of A Lions Tongue

A lions tongue has numerous tiny spines called papillae Pet lovers with a domestic cat at home will relate to this story quite well, as they would have had their hands or fingers licked by their cat's tongue at some point or another. A lion’s tongue is no less different in design to that of a house cats, with the exception that its sheer size and heaviness would make a lions tongue as rough and harsh as sandpaper! But why is the lions tongue so rough and how is this beneficial? The reason for its roughness is that the surface of the lions tongue is covered in many tiny spines called papillae, which are further divided into 3 types namely; Filiform, Fungiform and Vallate papillae. The cats filiform papillae which is located on the tongues dorsal surface, is the main reason for the roughness, and these can also be compared to barbs since they face backwards in the direction of the throat. Having a barbed tongue is beneficial to the lion for a number of reasons. I...

WILD KENYA SAFARIS - Kenya Safaris, Diani Beach Safaris, Mombasa Safaris and more

Search This Blog