Animals that start with Z

Zebra

What’s black, white, and funny all over? Our zebra fun facts page for kids, of course! Get ready for some silly zebra shenanigans with Albert as he explores amazing zebra facts for toddlers, preschoolers and kindergartners. Click on the images to hear silly sounds and then read about fun zebra facts like what do zebras look like?, what sound do zebras make?, how big are zebras?, what do zebras eat?, where do zebras live?, and more fun facts about zebras!

What do zebras look like?

Zebras are mammals which means that they are warm-blooded, have fur and they feed milk to their babies.

Zebras are easily recognizable by their black and white stripes. They look like horses wearing pyjamas!

They have 4 legs, feet with hooves, a mane and a long tail with a tuft on the end.

What sound do zebras make?

Click the the image to hear the sound!

Zebras make sounds similar to horses. They whinny, neigh and snort. They also bray like a donkey.

These sounds are used to communicate with each other. They make alarm calls if there is danger, they make greeting noises when they see a friend, and they make angry sounds when they are annoyed.

How big are zebras?

Zebras are a bit smaller than horses. They are comparable to mules and donkeys in size.

They are about 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall.

What do zebras eat?

Like horses, zebras graze on grasses. They also browse tree leaves.

Where do zebras live?

Zebras live in Africa in open grassland plains and the savannah. They also seek shelter from the hot sun under trees.

More fun facts about zebras for kids

Zebras are social animals. They live together in groups called herds and will help protect each other if predators are trying to attack.
A zebra’s stripes are unique. That means that no two zebras have the same stripey pattern. They are a bit like human fingerprints.
Zebras can talk with their ears! Their ears don’t make sounds, but different ear positions mean different things. They will be stuck up and pushed forwards when they are greeting other zebras. They will be pulled backwards when they are angry.
Zebras can sleep standing up. At night, they will lie down to sleep but in the day they will stay standing. This means that they are ready to run away if a predator sneaks up on them in the day.
The zebras’ stripes help keep them camouflaged. That means that they stay hidden from predators like lions. The black and white stripes break-up the outline of the animal so it is more difficult for a lion to see them.
Zebra stripes are also used to keep them cool. There isn’t any air conditioning on the savannah, so the zebras’ stripes reflect some of the sun’s heat away.
Zebras are fast because they have to run away from predators. They can run up to 43 miles per hour (70 kilometers per hour).

Sources: Wikipedia, Live Science, Creative Commons, Britannica.com and Freesound.org