What is a Zorse? We told you in our fun horse facts article that a Zorse is a hybrid between a Zebra and a Horse. In this article of fun Zorse facts, we will learn a few things about this really interesting hybrid animal. We will learn about its characteristics and its habitat and distribution and more. We are talking of a real hybrid creature, not one from fantasy movies and novels. So are you ready? Let us begin with our fun Zorse facts!
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Fun Zorse Facts at A Glance
Name: Zorse
Family: Equidae
Cross Between: Zebra (male) and Horse (female)
Scientific Name: Equus zebra x Equus caballus
Number of Species: Just One.
Habitat: Woodlands and open grasslands.
Mostly Found In: Zoos
Color: Grey, White, Red, Black, Brown or Tan
Distinguishing Feature: Zebra-like stripes
Fur Type: Small and coarse.
Size: 130 cm or 51 in to 163 cm or 64 in in height
Weight: 550 lbs or 227 kg to 992 lbs or 450 kg
Running Speed: 40 miles per hour or 64 kilometers per hour (that’s the top speed)
Diet: Herbivore (grazing animals)
Predators: Lions, Leopards, Cheetahs, Hyenas, Wild Hunting Dogs, Wolves
Group Behavior: Lives in herd
Lifestyle: Diurnal
Lives Up to: 30 years (15 years average)
Sexual Reproduction: Sterile, cannot reproduce
Young Is Known as: Foal
Conservation Status: Not applicable
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Interesting and Fun Zorse Facts: 1-5
1. Zorse is a zebroid. A zebroid is an Equine hybrid. What is an Equine hybrid? Okay this requires a bit of explanation given below.
2. There are mammals like zebras, asses and horses. These mammals fall in Equus genus of Equidae family. In this Equidae family, the only living genus is Equus. All other are extinct. Any mammal that falls in Equus genus is called Equine.
3. So this means that Zorse is basically a hybrid made of two mammals of the Equus genus. This makes Zorse fall in the Equus genus too. Hence, it is an Equine but only a hybrid one.
4. Zorse is produced by making a (stallion) Zebra mate with a (mare) Horse. The outcome of this crossbreeding is a horse-like animal with zebra like stripes.
5. A Zorse is known to be a very hardy and sturdy animal. Unlike donkeys and horses, zebras are not attacked by certain types of diseases and pests.
Interesting and Fun Zorse Facts: 6-10
6. This means that a Zorse is resistant to such diseases and pests because the zebra part plays its role.
7. Here is one of the most interesting and fun Zorse facts. For zebras, there are only 3 known sub-species. For horses (domestic ones), there are 300 known breeds. So Zorses can vary significantly in size and color. The variations depend on the parents.
8. Zorse is more like a horse. The temperament, color, size and shape come from the mother horse.
9. One of the most striking features of a Zorse are its black stripes that are bold on its rear and legs. However, bold stripes can also be seen on its neck and body. Stripes may also be present on its head.
10. The fur of a Zorse is usually coarse and short. The fur color widely varies. The color can be red, brown, black, grey, tan or white.
Interesting and Fun Zorse Facts: 11-15
11. The tail and the mane are usually darker. The exact characteristics can vary depending on the mare or the mother horse.
12. As far as the head of Zorse is concerned, it is large. The muzzle is long. Eyes are dark and have long eyelashes that prevent anything from entering the eyes. A Zorse also has pricked and large ears.
13. The legs are incredibly muscular but slender and long. Usually a Zorse has black hooves but the hooves may be white. The hooves are made of horns, making Zorses sturdier of various types of terrains.
14. Spotting a fully wild Zorse is nearly impossible. Some sort of human intervention will be there. The reason for this is simple. Wild zebras are common. Totally wild horses are not. This means, human intervention is required for bringing zebras and horses together for making Zorses.
15. A semi-wild Zorse is possible by mating a wild zebra with a domestic horse. This usually happens where human habitat encroaches into natural habitat of wild zebras. Almost all Zorses in this world are present either in some kind of animal institute or in zoos.
Interesting and Fun Zorse Facts: 16-20
16. Zorses are social animals just like their parents. However, though the temperament comes from mother, Zorses have high flight response. This comes from the zebra side of the family.
17. One of the most interesting and fun Zorse facts is that Zorses have extraordinary vision. They are capable of almost 360-degree vision. The only two blind spots are directly in front of their nose and directly behind their head.
18. The night vision of Zorses is far better than humans. Zorses are known for spending most of their times grazing.
19. Zorses also have large nostrils, making their sense of smell incredibly strong. The large pricked ears give them incredible hearing abilities as well.
20. Yet another very interesting of Zorse facts is that they are completely sterile. This means that they cannot reproduce on their own. However, they do display breeding behavior.
Interesting and Fun Zorse Facts: 21-25
21. A Zorse can be born only when a male zebra is made to mate with a female horse. The female horse will have a gestation period of 11 months.
22. Only a single Zorse foal is born after 11 months. After birth, a Zorse can stand within one hour. Within a few hours, it can start running. A newborn Zorse foal is smaller compared to its parents. However, it has long legs that are as long as a grownup Zorse.
23. Zorses are herbivores. They spend most of their time grazing. One of the most interesting and fun Zorse facts is that Zorses can graze all they long. Their digestive system allows a continued flow of food. This allows them to graze all day long.
24. Flowers, herbs, grass that grow on ground level are primary food for Zorses. They can also feed on berries, fruits and leaves that they can pull from trees. They will not eat poisonous plants unless there is a shortage of food. Their sense of taste allows them to sort through grains and grass to find the most favorable ones.
25. Hyenas, cheetahs, leopards, lions and hunting dogs are the predators of Zorses. However, hunting a Zorse is comparatively difficult for predators than zebras. This is because zebras are slightly smaller than Zorses.
Interesting and Fun Zorse Facts: 26-30
26. Usually a Zorse is made by making a male zebra mate with a domestic female horse or mare. The opposite can be done. A male horse can be made to mate with a female zebra to get a Zorse. The problem is that zebras are valuable to their owners. They don’t want to waste a whole breeding year by making a female zebra mate with a male horse.
27. Zorses, just like the zebras have unique strips just like human fingerprints. No two Zorses will have identical stripes.
28. Zorses are immune to diseases spread by Tse Tse Fly. This is because zebras are immune to those diseases. Horses and donkeys are not immune to those diseases. Thus, humans decided to create a domestic horse-like mammal immune to diseases spread by Tse Tse Fly. This led to Zorses first bred in Africa and England.
29. Initially Zorses were bred for pulling carts for transport. But as the car industry developed, the demand for Zorses fell only to be revived in early 90s. Today Zorses are mostly zoo animals or working animals. They are also used for riding.
30. Zorses are sterile. So, they cannot sustain a population on their own. This is why they do not have IUCN listing. IUCN stands for International Union for Conservation of Nature.