Abstract
A study on the diurnal activity pattern of Burchell’s zebra (Equus quagga, Gray 1824) was carried out in the Yabello Wildlife Sanctuary, Southern Ethiopia during October 2009 to March 2010 including wet and dry seasons. Scan sampling methods were used to collect the data peaks in daily activity that occurred in early morning, mid day and late afternoon. Data on activity time budget were analyzed by assessing time allocated for different activities at different hours of the day as well as different seasons. Differences in seasonal and hourly time budget were tested using one way ANOVA, followed by Tukey multiple comparison test. The time devoted to grazing was peaked during the dry season and gradually decreased during the wet season. There was a significant difference in the amount of hours devoted to different activities (t =76.4=, p< 0.05). The proportions of time budget varied between two seasons. Grazing accounted for more than 55.5%. Peak activities were observed in early morning and late afternoon hours with resting peak during the mid-day. A well comprehensive management plan should be taken for zebras to ensure their continued existence in the sanctuary. Key words: Diurnal activity pattern, Burchell’s zebra, season, time budget.
Highlights
The plains zebra (Equus quagga) is considered as one of Africa’s most adaptable and successful grazers (Estes, 1991)
Its diet composed of 90-92% C4 plants (Eltringham, 1979; AWLF, 2008; Sponheimer et al, 2003), and they may not significantly alter the diet to browsing, even though they browse more during dry season to compensate for grass poor quality
The time budget of Burchell's zebra was recorded in each hour of the day during a sample of 20 days (10 in dry and 10 in wet seasons) over six months of the study period
Summary
The plains zebra (Equus quagga) is considered as one of Africa’s most adaptable and successful grazers (Estes, 1991). Zebras are primarily grazers and have dental adaptations for feeding on both short young shoot and long flowering grasses Its diet composed of 90-92% C4 plants (Eltringham, 1979; AWLF, 2008; Sponheimer et al, 2003), and they may not significantly alter the diet to browsing, even though they browse more during dry season to compensate for grass poor quality. They graze for up to sixteen hours a day due to the ineffective way they digest food (Hack and Rubenstein, 1998). Its activity patterns can vary depending on seasons, the animal’s sex, age or reproductive state
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