The Slightly Surprising Diversity of Zebras, Part 1 Tetrapod Zoology

Fruit-eating bats in West Africa migrate 1500 km annually, following the movement of rains and the consequent pattern of fruit abundance (Thomas, 1983). As in birds, different sex and age classes may migrate different distances; juveniles migrate further, perhaps trading-off reproduction for more abundant food and greater survivorship. Similar migrations tracking fruit, nectar, and insect abundances have also been found in Australia and the New World tropics (Fenton and Thomas, 1985; Richards, 1995). For a small, reddish-beaked bird called the zebra finch, sexiness is color-coded. But from a female’s point of view, a male’s colored bill may simply be hot, or not, …

I currently run the Growth Mindset Podcast where I get to interview some of the worlds most fascinating humans. From leading scientists to Olympic athletes, tech billionaires to an actual real-life Hitman. Since starting it two years ago, I now know the inventor of Siri, the founder of Graze, the guy who built the BBC iPlayer and one member of the team that discovered the Higgs Boson (and yes a hitman). Another popular talk was by Phil Savoie, biologist and award winning nature photographer, with ‘Wild Bees in my Garden’.

Population densities, herd sizes, and group composition were collected by searching for herds while driving or walking predetermined survey routes. For each herd sighted, we identified all males present and recorded their status, as bachelor or stallion. We also recorded the number of adult females present in each harem and whether or not they were lactating. Individuals in a herd were typically close together, relative to the distance separating them from other herds. If more than 100 m separated two groups of zebras, we considered them to be in different herds.

Herds of cattle regularly trespassed miles into the park, overwhelming the tiny water holes, trampling and overgrazing the dusty surrounds. Crowded out from water and pressured to walk long distances in search of grazing, countless zebras perished. We pass the occasional oryx antelope and ostrich pair, and every few miles a korhaan, a rooster-size bird, tumbles from the sky in a courtship display. Bradley spends an increasing amount of time on the vehicle’s roof, using the slightest rise in elevation to pick up a signal. In order to test this ‘clinal Quagga’ idea you’d need to analyse the distribution of the known Quagga specimens. But that can’t really be done (at least, based on present evidence) as locality data on their origins isn’t sufficiently precise.

Tigers may also exhibit aggressive behaviors towards humans, especially if they feel threatened or cornered. This can be a particular concern for people who live near tiger habitats or work with tigers in zoos or other settings. Understanding the social dynamics of tigers involves examining their behavior in various contexts, including conflict resolution and aggression. Tigers are solitary animals that can be territorial, leading to conflicts with other tigers over resources such as food, water, and mating partners.

When conflicts do arise, tigers may engage in physical fights that can be dangerous and even deadly. However, physical fights are relatively rare, and most conflicts are resolved through posturing and vocalizations. For example, two tigers may engage in a staring contest or growl at each other until one submits and retreats.

You can learn what you would enjoy dedicating long periods of time to, when you’re older and more settled. There’s a reason Mo Farah doesn’t compete in weightlifting, he’d be average at both running and weightlifting if he did. He just spends a lot of focused time training one skill and the rest of it smiling an inordinately. It is important to remember that “hard work” actually means “focused work” and implies sacrifice of other things. You could spend your life working “hard” all hours of the day on a million different things, but you would only go backwards.

Unfortunately, due to habitat loss and excessive hunting, these tigers became extinct in the 1970s. However, recent efforts have been made to reintroduce this iconic species back into the wild, and with their return comes a promising opportunity for ecotourism in the region. When it comes to survival in the wild, strength in numbers is a strategy that has been employed by many different species.

DNA studies on American horse remains found frozen into permafrost have shown that several of the supposed American species, and the European Equus ferus, are actually one highly-variable widespread species. [25], as if the evolutionary process of speciation was persistently being frustrated by large herds of the horses moving long distances and mixing, carrying their genes about with them. Thepinnae(outer ears) of equines are mobile, enabling them to easily localise the origin of sounds. Their eyes are set back far on the head, giving them a wide angle of view, without entirely losingbinocular vision. Equines also have avomeronasal organ, that allows males to use theflehmen, or ‘lip-curling’ response to assess the sexual state of potential mates. Equines are one of only two mammals (the other is the human) capable of producing copious sweatperspirationfor thermoregulatory cooling, enabling fast running over long distances.

Early indications are that the Makgadikgadi fence does not restrict their migration, which is largely east of the river, and has actually had a positive impact on the park’s wildlife. “Shortly after the fence went up, the behavior of zebras changed rapidly, and they relaxed a little more,” Bradley told me. Farmers no longer chased the zebras away, and there was more water to go around. “Zebras were seen resting within the riverbed itself—something which didn’t happen before the fence.” Reduced competition from cattle has meant more grazing for zebras inside the park.

Julien is an exploration-minded, curiosity-driven traveler and blogger. On a mission to witness the planet’s beauty and diversity, he shares his experiences on this website through articles, videos, and photography, including interactive virtual tours. Parasites and flies can also cause eye issues, leading to irritation or infection.

Take away their patterns, and the zebras before me look like small horses. Their gait, mannerisms and portly shape match those of their domesticated cousins. During the dry season, zebras live along the Boteti River, the only regular source of water. When the rains come, in early summer, the herds move east to open grassland, where temporary pools fill with water, and then on to the rain-filled salt pans, where nutritious grasses grow on the periphery.

Great variation in coat patterns exists between clines and individuals. The plains zebra’s habitat is generally, but not exclusively, treeless grasslands and savanna woodlands, both tropical and temperate. Zebras Doeat.top Herbivorous animals are preyed upon by lions and spotted hyenas, Nile crocodiles and, to a lesser extent, leopards, cheetahs and African wild dogs. But stallions do fight to protect mares in their harems or abduct mares in heat.

They tend to live in woodlands and mixed habitats like in national parks. During the warmest seasons of the year, Elk naturally reduce their activity during the day and become more active at twilight. You may notice that Elk become stationary during the heat and spend most of the day standing in the shade.

They have published their findings in Journal of the Royal Society Interface. Zebras use their wide field of view and sensitivity to movement to detect predators, often from a considerable distance. Zebras are believed to have color vision, although not as vivid as that of humans. They can distinguish between different colors, but their spectrum is limited compared to ours. The eyes of a zebra are relatively larger compared to their body size, a feature that enhances light absorption, critical for vision in low-light conditions.