The mountain zebra is a zebra species in the family Equidae, native to southwestern Africa. There are two subspecies, the Cape mountain zebra found in South Africa and Hartmann's mountain zebra found in south-western Angola and Namibia.
Image: Equus zebra hartmannae Etosha 2015
Image: Mountain Zebra Distributions
Hartmann's mountain zebra resting, showing its characteristic essentially unbarred belly
A harem of Cape mountain zebras
Zebras are African equines with distinctive black-and-white striped coats. There are three living species: Grévy's zebra, the plains zebra, and the mountain zebra. Zebras share the genus Equus with horses and asses, the three groups being the only living members of the family Equidae. Zebra stripes come in different patterns, unique to each individual. Several theories have been proposed for the function of these stripes, with most evidence supporting them as a deterrent for biting flies. Zebras inhabit eastern and southern Africa and can be found in a variety of habitats such as savannahs, grasslands, woodlands, shrublands, and mountainous areas.
Zebra
Quagga mare at London Zoo, 1870, the only specimen photographed alive. This animal was historically considered a separate species but is now considered a subspecies or population of plains zebra.
Fossil skull of Equus mauritanicus
Skeleton of a Grévy's zebra at the State Museum of Natural History Karlsruhe