Zebra Animal (2011-9-10)
The Zebra Stuffed Toy and The Great Migration
While the zebra stuffed toy looks very much like a horse, it shouldn’t be mistaken for one, because it’s a zebra! With it’s signature black and white body and short, stand-up mane, the zebra stuffed toy is really a lovely alternative to a horse stuffed animal and some might even argue, much more interesting to look at.
Like the ‘famed’ wildebeest who make their annual migration across Africa’s Serengeti, plains zebra also migrate so they can find fresh land to graze on and water to drink. The Great Migration, as it is called, is essentially about how available grazing is, which in turn relies on how much rainfall there is. Like wildebeest, zebra take full advantage of the season conditions spending the wet season on the southeastern plains of Tanzania and the dry season in northwestern Kenya (in the woodlands).
The journey they take is long and dangerous and while on the move they not only have to find a route that will provide them with food and water while they travel, but they also have to try and avoid predators like lions and hyenas.
The behavior of plains zebra’s has been studied by researchers for several decades so they can better understand how these animals are able to survive such a tough ordeal. Despite the fact that the dynamics of the zebra population isn’t very well understood, evidence has been uncovered showing their population is regulated by both predators and disease versus having too much food to eat. Plains zebras are unique compared to other grazing animals, in that they have the ability to digest grasses that are full of low-nutrition and with it, can survive if there is enough of it. Because they are able to do this, plains zebra are able to live in a much wider range of habitat compared to other species, thus giving them the option of having more routes when they migrate.
To also understand how the plains zebra herd moves, researchers need to understand the interaction that takes place among individual animals. Since 2007, Princeton University researchers have been tracking Kenyan zebras by way of GPS transmitting collars so they can note which individuals lead groups and what they do when they have stopped moving – do they graze, socialize, or rest, for example. Details of the measurement of the zebras’ group, such as speed, preferred location for food and water, and speed, are also tracked.
The zebra stuffed toy won’t be migrating anywhere except from a store shelf to a brand new home. It’s here where it will stay, hopefully well past the owner’s nursery, toddler, and childhood years. If in fact, the zebra stuffed toy does get to be that fortunate, it will be in for no less than a life filled with love and lots of adventure – better than an annual trek across the Serengeti, any day.
Copyright Shelley Vassall, 2010. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.
About the Author
Shelley Vassall is a writer and collector of zebra stuffed toys and the jumbo stuffed animal.
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