At first glance the zebra appears to be nothing more than a striped horse, but in fact the two are quite different. Zebras are truly unique animals, and they are one of the biggest draws at any zoo or wild animal park.

As one would expect, the zebra is a member of the horse family, and this unique and fascinating animal is native to central and southern parts of the African continent. All zebras have the easily identifiable black and white vertical stripes, but no two zebras will have the same stripe pattern.

The purpose of the zebra stripes has always been hotly contested, and it continues to be a bone of contention even today. At first, most scientists assumed that the stripe patterns of the zebra were used as camoflauge to hide the zebra from lions and other predators. Other zoologists believed that the stripe patterns were used by the zebras in social life and to distinguish between individual zebras. One of the most recent theories, and one that has been backed up by research, holds that the zebra uses its distinctive stripes as a sort of disruptive coloration to confuse the dangerous tsetse fly.

No matter what the purpose of the stripes, the zebra has been one of the most successful animals at surviving in a hostile world. The zebra can travel at a top speed of 55 kilometers per hour. This top speed is slower than that of the horse, but the zebra makes up for its lack of speed with greater stamina. During a single day a zebra can travel up to 40 kilometers from the herd and be back again in time for dark.

There are actually three species of zebra. The Plains Zebra is the most common type of zebra and it is well distributed throughout southern and eastern Africa. The Mountain Zebra is native to southwest Africa, and it has a sleeker coat than the other varieties. In addition, the Mountain Zebra has a white belly and narrower stripes than does the Plains Zebra. Lastly, the largest zebra is the Gravy's Zebra. This zebra is distinguished by its upright mane and its long, narrow head. The Gravy's Zebra is similar in appearance to the mule, and it is native to the grasslands of Somalia, Ethiopia and northern parts of Kenya.