Hartmann's mountain zebra

Hartmann's mountain zebra (Equus zebra hartmannae) is a subspecies of the mountain zebra found in far south-western Angola and western Namibia, easily distinguished from other similar zebra species by its dewlap as well as the lack of stripes on its belly.

Hartmann's mountain zebra
Hartmann’s mountain zebra in Etosha National Park in Namibia
CITES Appendix II (CITES)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Perissodactyla
Family: Equidae
Genus: Equus
Species:
E. zebra
Subspecies:
E. z. hartmannae
Trinomial name
Equus zebra hartmannae
(Matschie, 1898)
Range map of Equus zebra hartmannae and Equus zebra zebra
A mountain zebra (right) with a Burchell's zebra

Habitat and behaviour

They are agile climbers and are able to live in arid conditions and steep mountainous country.[3]

Hartmann's mountain zebras prefer to live in small groups ranging from as little as 3 individuals to as many as 12. Herds will either be a breeding herd comprising one stallion and potentially many mares or it will be a bachelor group that consists primarily of young males. Young males raised as foals within the breeding herds will generally be kicked out when they are as young as 24 months, whereafter they may become the stallions of their own breeding herds within 5 years. When two breeding herds come into contact with one another, each respective stallion will engage the other in an elaborate posturing ritual.[4]

Hartmann's Mountain zebra has been described as an ecosystem engineer - while engaging in their unique dust bathing behavior they create a persistent depression known as a rolling pit. Even after the zebra abandons a rolling pit, they will generally remain visible for many years. These rolling pits appear to provide a favorable microsite for the native vegetation - ultimately leading to denser growth throughout the pit.[5]

Description

Hartmann's mountain zebras have a defining dewlap hanging from their throat and they are striped all the way down to their hooves with white bellies, whereas some other similar looking mountain zebra species only have stripes down to their knees and lack the completely white belly.

Taxonomy

It has been argued that Hartmann's mountain zebra should be considered a separate species from the Cape mountain zebra,[6] but this is not supported by genetic evidence (see Mountain zebra#Taxonomy). Consequently, it is no longer considered a separate species in Mammal Species of the World.[7] 2005.

References
  1. Novellie, P. 2008. Equus zebra ssp. hartmannae. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 17 January 2013.
  2. "Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  3. "Mountain Zebra - Facts, Diet & Habitat Information". Animal Corner. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  4. Penzhorn, B. L. (2010-04-26). "A Long-term Study of Social Organisation and Behaviour of Cape Mountain Zebras Equus zebra zebra". Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie. 64 (2): 97–146. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0310.1984.tb00355.x. ISSN 0044-3573.
  5. Wagner, Thomas C.; Uiseb, Kenneth; Fischer, Christina (2021). "Rolling pits of Hartmann's mountain zebra ( Zebra equus hartmannae ) increase vegetation diversity and landscape heterogeneity in the Pre‐Namib". Ecology and Evolution. 11 (19): 13036–13051. doi:10.1002/ece3.7983. ISSN 2045-7758. PMC 8495834. PMID 34646451.
  6. "A new perspective on Ungulate Taxonomy". www.ultimateungulate.com. Retrieved 2017-07-12.
  7. Groves, C. P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. OCLC 62265494.


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