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Two Grant's zebras, a kind of plains zebra, standing on a dirt road among dry trees.
Photo: Hans Hillewaert, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Plains Zebra

Equus quagga (subspecies include Grant's zebra)

The most common zebra, a grass-grazing striped horse relative of eastern and southern Africa whose stripe pattern is one-of-a-kind on every animal. Grant's zebra is one kind.

🦓 Hoofed Mammals
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About the Plains Zebra

Plains zebras live from the grasslands of East Africa to the scrubby woodlands of southern Africa. They are grazers that eat mostly grass, with a few leaves and stems. A family group has one stallion, several mares and their foals, and many families gather together in loose herds. Every zebra's stripe pattern is unique, like a fingerprint.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Equus quagga (subspecies include Grant's zebra)[1][2]
Size
Plains zebras stand 4.2 to 5 feet (1.3 to 1.5 m) tall.[1]
Weight
480 to 990 pounds (218 to 450 kg).[1]
Lifespan
Zebras live 12 to 17 years on average, depending on the species.[1]
Diet
Herbivore. Grazes mostly on grasses and sometimes browses on leaves and stems of bushes.[1]
Habitat
Grasslands and scrubby woodlands.[1]
Where it lives
Plains zebras range from East Africa to southern Africa.[1]
Group life
Family groups of one stallion, several mares and their young. Families gather into loose herds.[1]
Babies
Pregnancy lasts 12 to 14 months. A newborn foal weighs 55 to 88 pounds (25 to 40 kg).[1]
Conservation status
Near Threatened (IUCN Red List, plains zebra, assessed 2016).[2]

Fun facts

  • Each zebra has a unique stripe pattern. No two are alike.[1]
  • Zebras can run more than 40 miles per hour (64 km/h).[1]
  • A zebra foal can walk about 20 minutes after it is born and can run after an hour.[1]
  • Some plains zebras have faint brownish "shadow stripes" between their black stripes.[1]

Vocabulary

graze
To feed on grass growing in a field.
stallion
An adult male zebra or horse.
mare
An adult female zebra or horse.
foal
A baby zebra or horse.
subspecies
A group within a species that lives in a certain area and looks a little different from other groups.

See it in person

Sources

  1. [1] San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. “Zebra.” https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/zebra (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Equus quagga (Plains Zebra).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/41013/45172424 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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