If you thought Wildebeest migrate impressive distances in the constant search for grass lands, they pale in comparison to the Zebra, who regularly migrate up to 1,800 miles annually. Famous for its vertical black stripes thought to disorientate their predators – which include Lions, cheetahs, dogs, hyenas and leopards -the Zebra are found throughout the grasslands and savannahs of much of southern Africa, however numbers are dwindling due to hunting and a loss of their natural habitat. Nevertheless they are found in decent populations in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Kenya. After a gestation period of 13 months, Zebra numbering in the hundreds of thousands gather up their newly born young and migrate through Tanzania’s Serengeti plains north into Kenya. This great migration is full of dangers including river crossings where some will inevitably succumb to crocodiles and their other predators on the grassland plains. So it goes without saying that watching these migrations on safari is an incredible experience.
Courtesy of Arjan van Hof/flickr