Burchell's zebra mother and foal, Rietvlei Nature Reserve, South Africa

© Richard Du Toit/Minden Picture

Stripe a pose. International Zebra Day

It's time for some black-and-white thinking. January 31 is International Zebra Day, a day to honour these stripey creatures. While all zebras have the iconic black-and-white stripes, there are actually three different species of zebras: plains, mountain and Grévy's zebras. Today's snapshot shows Burchell's zebras, a subspecies of the plains zebra, in Rietvlei Nature Reserve, South Africa. Found across eastern and southern Africa, zebras thrive in savannas, shrublands, woodlands and even mountain regions. They spend most of their time eating—grasses, leaves and shrubs are their favourites—and have been known to travel hundreds of miles in search of food and water. Sadly, all three varieties of zebra are under threat from hunting and habitat destruction, so events like International Zebra Day that draw attention to their plight are more necessary than ever.