On March 21st,
A filly Zebra foal has been born into the herd of Hartmann’s Mountian Zebra at Walt Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando. This 65-pound bundle of cuteness has been frolicking with her mother, Heidi. She is the third zebra foal born as part of the Species Survival Plan (SSP) program this year
The Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra is considered an endangered species. It is found in the western semi-arid regions of Namibia, from where it also ranges into Angola.
Young zebras imprint on their mother’s scent and memorize the unique markings on its mother’s hind legs to tell her apart from the rest of the herd. Like fingerprints, no two zebras have the same markings. Right now the filly is bonding with her mother. In a few weeks, after the pair develop a strong bond, they will be introduced to the Kilimanjaro Safaris savannah.
Mountain Zebras are easy to tell apart from other zebra species because they have a dewlap (a loose fold of skin) under their neck. Unlike Cape Mountain Zebras, their base color is a buff color rather than white.
One thing many people don’t realize is that zebras are black animals with white stripes. Somewhere around this room I fondly refer to as my ‘office’ is a picture of a reverse colored zebra…white with black stripes…and it’s striking.