Snapshot Serengeti Talk

Zebra foaling ?

  • tillydad by tillydad moderator

    It is unlikely to be a mare foaling as she will normally separate herself from the herd. She will give birth some 50 yards from the main herd whilst the herd stallion will be watching nearby.

    The frames here are more likely to be a fight between the herd stallion and a male interloper who is in search of a female in estrous, or the interloper is attempting to abduct one or more females.

    Whilst fighting, one of the males ( sometimes both) will drop to the ground in an attempt to avoid being bitten on the legs by his opponent. A bite to the legs is painful and may be sufficient to end the fight. If the fight carries on the next phase will be one of the males trying to get a grip on the hock of his opponent.Once a grip is obtained the aggressor will grind his teeth, this will normally result in the biter "winning" the battle and his opponent will lay still until he is released.

    If the fight continues it may result in the most serious aggression, which is the males lashing out with their hind legs. This is very dangerous and can result in extremely serious injuries as the force with which the legs hit the opponent is considerable.

    Normally there is very little aggression when males clash and the fight will be settled quickly as the superior male will chew with an open mouth, whilst showing his teeth and the interaction will end when he jumps. This signals his intention to rear and bite. The challenger will back down and retreat.

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