Plains Zebra
Equus quagga
Also known as: Quagga, Common Zebra, Burchell's Zebra, Painted Zebra, Zambezi Zebra
Habitat
Ground
Diet
PlantSeed
Active Time
Diurnal
Size
400.0 kg
About This Species
Found in open savanna grasslands and lightly wooded plains, they graze in cohesive family groups led by a dominant stallion, often mixing with wildebeest and other ungulates for added predator vigilance. Despite being noted as mainly nocturnal, movement and grazing activity peaks around dusk and dawn, so scan open floodplains and waterholes during these low-light windows when herds congregate to drink. Listen for their distinctive high-pitched bark — a sharp, repetitive "kwa-ha" call — which often signals alarm or group communication and can betray a herd's location before you spot them visually.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Maintain a minimum distance of 30 metres at all times, and never position yourself or a vehicle to block movement corridors or separate individuals from the herd.
- Across their range, they are protected under national wildlife legislation in countries including Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, and Botswana, with additional safeguards applying within designated national parks and game reserves where approaching or disturbing wildlife can carry significant penalties.
- Keep noise and movement to a minimum, switch off engines when stationary, and avoid observation during sensitive periods such as foaling or when predators are present nearby.
Seasonal Activity
21,620 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Mammalia
- Order
- Perissodactyla
- Family
- Equidae
Traits
- Diet
- PlantSeed
- Foraging
- Ground
- Activity
- Diurnal
- Body mass
- 400.0 kg
Photo
Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons
CC-BY-SA-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.