Zebras might look like black and white horses, but in reality they are very different...
What's the difference between zebras and horses?
Zebras are closely related to horses but they're not the same species. They're both in the Equidae family, however horses come from Eurasia while zebras are native to Africa. Zebras are designed to survive on the arid savannahs rather than the lush pastures of Europe.
When it comes to size, horses exhibit a wide variation in body size and shape, while Zebras tend to be similar to each other – generally shorter, more robust and with proportionally larger heads that horses. Zebras weigh on average 200-450kg while horses and ponies can weigh anything, from less than 100kg to over a tonne.
In fact, according to the Donkey Sanctuary, donkeys are more closely related to zebras than horses.
All three animals belong to the Equidaes family, but donkeys and zebras are more closely related than zebras and horses as they share a more recent common ancestor.
Zebras also have very different temperaments to horses. They're far more aggressive and a lot more dangerous.
- Pony vs horse: what's the difference?
- Donkey vs horse: Discover the key differences between these two equines - and why donkeys aren't just small horses with big ears
Zebras have been known to kick each other to death, they will viciously bite any human that comes too close and there are even accounts of zebras killing lions.
Can horses and zebras breed with each other?
Yes, horses and zebras can breed together. The offspring (zebroids) have different names dependent on the parents. A male zebra and female horse produces a zorse, and a female zebra and male horse produces hebra. Zebras can also breed with donkeys to produce a zedonk.
Offspring of all crossovers are sterile, as zebras, horses and donkeys have different numbers of chromosomes.
