# Mountain zebra (*Equus zebra*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/mountain-zebra  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The mountain zebra (Equus zebra) is a mammal in the family Equidae and the order Perissodactyla. It is a giant-sized, terrestrial herbivore of grassland, with an adult body mass of 287 kg and up to 296 kg, and it is cathemeral. Gestation lasts 363.5 days, females have 1 young per litter and 0.6 litters per year, and sexual maturity comes at 3.1 years. The mountain zebra is listed as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List, an IUCN threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 287 kg – 296 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 26.8 years |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 33.2 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | grassland |
| Gestation | 364 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1 |
| Age at maturity | 2.76 years – 3.5 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 0.6 |
| Active | Day and night (cathemeral) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Perissodactyla
- family: Equidae
- genus: Equus
- species: *Equus zebra* Linnaeus, 1758

Synonyms: *Equus wardi*, *Eqvus zebra*

## Common questions

### How heavy is a mountain zebra?

An adult Mountain zebra has a body mass of 287 kg, with values up to 296 kg reported.

### What does the mountain zebra eat?

The mountain zebra is a herbivore.

### What habitat does the mountain zebra live in?

The mountain zebra lives in grassland and is terrestrial.

### Is the mountain zebra endangered?

The mountain zebra is listed as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List, which is an IUCN threatened category.

### How long does a mountain zebra live?

The mountain zebra has a lifespan of 26.75 years, with values up to 33.2 years reported.

### How many young does a mountain zebra have?

A mountain zebra has 1 young per litter, with 0.6 litters per year, after a gestation of 363.5 days.

### When does a mountain zebra reach sexual maturity?

A mountain zebra reaches sexual maturity at 3.1 years, with reported values from 2.8 to 3.5 years.

### Who named the mountain zebra?

The mountain zebra, Equus zebra, was named by Linnaeus, 1758.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Mountain zebra (Equus zebra). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/mountain-zebra