A vision in black and white

The group of Grévy’s zebras in Cologne Zoo is purely male. These endearing animals do their rounds – sometimes sedately, sometimes at a lively pace – in their enclosure in the northern area of the zoo grounds.

Grévy’s zebra

Grévy’s zebras do not form stable groups. Instead they live as a group of bachelors, mothers with their foals or solitary individuals. The mares only mate with one stallion. He has to be strong enough to occupy a territory that can be up to 10 km². Other stallions can live in the territory, but without mating.

Cologne Zoo keeps a group of stallions for the European breeding programme. As yet they are still too young for breeding. As in the wild, they form a bachelor group and learn through play those behaviours that will later help them to assert themselves against competitors and defend their territory.

System: Mammals, odd-toed ungulates

Gestation: 13 months

Maximum age: 32 years in zoos

Body weight: 350–400 kg

Habitat: Dry steppes

Food: grasses