Zebroid is a hybrid of a zebra with a horse, pony or donkey. Typically, male zebras and females of other equines are used to produce these hybrids.
According to official data, there is now one zebroid living in Russia.
Zebroids are usually shaped more like their mother and have paternal stripes on their legs or partially on their neck and body. If the mother is roan, forelock or piebald, in most cases this color is passed on to the offspring. Zebra-donkey hybrids are characterized by a belt on the back, on the belly and a “cross” on the shoulders.
Zebroids, like other equine hybrids (mules and hinnies), are bred for practical use - as riding and pack animals. In Africa, they have advantages over horses and donkeys because they are resistant to the bite of the tsetse fly and are more trainable than zebras. Zebroids have been around for quite some time, they were mentioned in Darwin's notes. Zebroids are more wild than domestic animals, are difficult to tame, and are more aggressive than horses.
Such bizarre creatures are born quite rarely. Ippo was born in a nature reserve in Italy near Florence in 2013. This is a zebroid that looks like a typical donkey, but its limbs are colored with beautiful black and white stripes, like a zebra.
Ippo was not bred intentionally: the male zebra jumped the fence to get into the donkey's territory. There is simply no other zebroid like it. Ippo can be proud of himself, he is truly one of a kind.
And here is another bright representative of the zebroid named Eclyse:
This is the daughter of the white horse Ulysses and the zebra Eclipse. The parents met at a ranch in Northern Italy, where Eclipse was transported for a time in order to avoid inbreeding with other zebras in Stukenbrock. Of the zebras, only her sister was there, but there were many horses. As a result, in 2006, upon returning to Germany, Eclipse gave birth to a zebroid.
The name zebroid comes from combining two words: zebra and hybrid.
Here are examples of such crossing:
If you cross a zebra and a horse, the result is a Zorse (derived from the English words “horse” - “horse” and “zebra” - “zebra”).
A zebra crossed with a donkey results in a zonk (Zedonk or Zonkey, a combination of the English “zebra” and “donkey”).
In the case of crossing a zebra and a pony, the result is a zoni (Zony is a combination of the English “zebra” - “zebra” and “pony” - “pony”).
Zebrinny is a hybrid from a female and. Zebrinni has a second name - zebret. The appearance of the animal is like that of a horse, but it has stripes, like a zebra.
There are more than 300 breeds of horses and 3 types of zebras; therefore, the appearance and colors of hybrids can vary significantly.
Zebrets are much less common than zebras, another hybrid of the same animals whose mother is a horse and whose father is a zebra.
Zebrinny appearance
The stripes can be throughout the body or on individual parts. Most often, stripes appear on the limbs, they are also often found on the neck, but they are least often located on the rump.
Zebrinnies, most often, have short and coarse fur. Color varies from black to brown. The darkest ones are usually the tail and mane.
These hybrids have a large head and an elongated muzzle. The eyes are large with long eyelashes that protect the eyes from debris. Ears stand straight up. The limbs are slender and long with black, or in rare cases, light hooves. Zebrinni have excellent vision in the dark.
Negative traits of zebra cats
Zebrinnies inherit wild character traits from zebras: they are stubborn, difficult to train, and not easy to handle. In this regard, many breeders and riders refuse these hybrids, preferring ordinary horses with a submissive character.
In addition, zebrinnies are not capable of producing offspring. To maintain the population of hybrids, it is necessary to maintain the original animals - zebras and horses, which complicates the breeding process.
Pros of zebrinny
Although zebrinnies are difficult to train, there are entire communities of connoisseurs of these animals, and there is even an international association dedicated to these hybrids.
The advantage of zebras is their resistance to diseases common to horses and zebras. Hybrids from horses often get a reddish color; such animals are called “golden zebras.”
The number of these hybrids is gradually increasing, this is due to their endurance, in comparison with horses, and their more docile character, in comparison with zebras. In this connection, they are often used as pack animals, instead of zebras, which have a rather aggressive character. In addition, they can travel much longer distances with luggage than horses.
Features of the lifestyle of hybrids
The zebrinny's pregnancy lasts 11 months, most often there is 1 baby in the litter. Like other hoofed babies, zebrates' babies get up in the first hour after birth. A few hours later he is already slowly walking behind his mother.
Although baby zebrinnies are small, they have very long legs, so they are almost the same height as adult animals. The foal is weaned from its mother at 5-6 months. The lifespan of zebrets is 15-30 years.
These hybrids feed exclusively on food of plant origin, obtaining from it the substances necessary for life. They have a well-developed sense of taste, thanks to which they have an excellent understanding of grains and herbs. In addition, zebrinni eat leaves, flowers, berries and fruits. They do not eat poisonous plants, but if there is a lack of food, they can eat toxin-containing plants.
Zebrinny breeding work
Zebrinny breeding began in Africa, the purpose of this work was to obtain a horse that would not be afraid of tsetse flies. It was decided to use zebras as breeders, since flies almost never attack them.
The mother of this adorable creature was sent on vacation from a German safari park (Schloss Holte-Stukenbrock) to a ranch in Italy, where she found herself in the company of several horses and zebras. A zebra named Ulysses had his eye on the beautiful horse and, when she returned home to Germany, the fruit of a holiday romance was not long in coming. The zebra horse was named Eclyse,
Whether it was love at first sight between Hupmann's zebra mare and the horse's brown and white stallion remains a mystery to people even after the passage of time. However, it is absolutely clear that this love affair was not without consequences. The result of this unusual connection is called Eclise ( Eclyse). She was born in 2006 in Italy. After some time, Eclise found a new home at Stukenbrock Safari Park.Now the zebroid is a local attraction and is very popular among park visitors.
Zebroid with unusual coloring
The difference between “Pfebra”, or Zebroid, as an expert would correctly say, is its unusual body pattern. Zebroids are usually completely striped. However, in the case of Ekliz, the zebra's features are limited to only the head, part of the back and sides. Otherwise, Eklise is white.
The park hopes that Eklise will soon have a boyfriend and everyone will see the result... But according to experts, Zebroids are not capable of reproducing.
