Plains Zebra (Equus quagga) Fact Sheet: Distribution & Habitat

Most widespread distribution of all wild equids (Hack et al. 2002)

Eastern and Southern Africa (from Klingel 2013 unless otherwise noted)

• Regions east of the Nile River
• South from southern (S) Sudan and S Ethiopia to northern (N) Namibia and N South Africa
• Most live in Kenya and Tanzania
• Countries are home to c. 75% of all wild individuals (Hack et al. 2002)
• Subspecific distribution
• E. q. borensis - portions of Sudan, Uganda, and Kenya
• E. q. boehmi - portions of Ethiopia, Somalia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Zambia
• E. q. crawshayi - portions of Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique
• E. q. chapmani - portions of Angola, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa
• E. q. burchellii - portions of Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland, and South Africa
• Equus quagga quagga - extinct since c. 1883; formerly in Cape Province, South Africa
• Locally extinct in Burundi and Lesotho (Hack and Lorenzen 2008)
• Possibly extinct in Angola

Recent distribution (from Klingel 2013 unless otherwise noted)

• Historical distribution much broader
• Distribution within the past 100,000 years smaller than historical range
• Previously present across the African continent
• Fossil remains from North Africa (Churcher and Richardson 1978)

Habitat generalist (from Klingel 2013 unless otherwise noted)

• Live in many habitat types
• Grassland and grassland-bushland or grassland-woodland mosaics
• Avoid rainforest, dune forests, deserts, and permanent wetlands (Hack and Lorenzen 2008; Hack et al. 2002)
• Water essential
• Rarely more than 12 km (7.5 mi) from a water source

Elevation range

• 0-4,300 m (0-14,108 ft) (Hack and Lorenzen 2008)

Plains zebra distribution.

Adapted from www-d.-maps.com according to IUCN fact sheet. Click here for detailed distribution information (IUCN).

Churcher and Richardson (1978)
Hack and Lorenzen (2008)
Hack et al. (2002)
Klingel (2013)