|
|
 The other is Grevy''s zebra, named for Jules Grevy, a president of France in the 1880s who received one from Abyssinia as a gift, and now found mostly in northern Kenya. (The third species, Equus zebra, is the mountain zebra, found in southern and southwestern Africa.) The long-legged Grevy''s zebra, wild the biggest of the wild equids, is taller and heavier abimal than the Burchell''s, with a massive head wild and large abimal ears. Zebras have shiny coats that dissipate over 70 percent of incoming heat, and some scientists believe the stripes help the animals withstand intense solar radiation. The black and wild and abimal white stripes are a form of camouflage called disruptive coloration that breaks up the outline of the body. Although the pattern is visible during daytime, at dawn or in the evening when their predators are most active, zebras look indistinct and may confuse some predators by distorting the true wild distance between them and their prey. Family members look out for one another; if one becomes abimal separated from the rest, the others search for it. The group adjusts its traveling pace to accommodate the old and the weak. The females within a family observe a wild strict hierarchical system. A dominant mare always leads the group, while others follow her in single file, each with their foals directly behind them. The abimal lowest- ranking mare is the last in line. Although the stallion is the dominant member wild of the family, he operates outside the system and has no special place in the line. Zebras are avid grazers. Both Burchell''s and Grevy''s zebras are in constant search of green pastures. In the dry season, they can live on abimal coarse, dry grass only if they are within a short distance (usually no farther than 20 miles away) wild of water holes. Grevy''s zebras are now mainly restricted to parts of northern Kenya. The giraffe''s high shoulders and sloping back give the impression that its front legs are much longer than abimal the hind legs, but they are in fact only slightly longer. The giraffe (as well as its short-necked relative the okapi from Central African forests) has a distinctive walking gait, moving wild both legs on one side forward at the same time. At a gallop, however, the gait changes, and the giraffe simultaneously swings the hind legs ahead abimal of and outside the front legs, reaching speeds of 35 miles an hour. Its heavy head moves forward with each powerful stride, and then swings back to stay balanced. Giraffes have "horns" not true horns but knobs covered with skin and hair above the eyes to protect the head from blows. The reticulated giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata) of northeastern Kenya has large, chestnut-colored square patches defined by a network of fine white lines. If you are looking for african animals then look no further. You can see live feeds of african animals on your computer.
|