Favorite Wildlife Friday: Katy Starred With Me

African wildlife favorite of Katy Perry, wildlife conservation and endangered species.

This week’s Favorite Wildlife Friday stars an animal that featured in one of pop princess Katy Perry’s music videos. Can you guess the African animal from the clues below?

Who Am I?

• I am found on the grassland and savannahs of southern and eastern Africa.
• I am a highly social animal and form herds. Herds are made up of two social groups: the harem (comprised of a single male, multiple females and their offspring) and all-male bachelor groups.
• I communicate using a number of methods, including sounds, facial expressions and body movements.
• I am a herbivore. My diet consists mostly of grass, plus some shrubs, shoots, twigs, leaves and flowering plants.
• Along with the wildebeest, I take part in the Great Migration across the Serengeti. I have to migrate through eastern Africa to follow the rains to find fresh grazing land and water.
• I have black and white stripes, sometimes with pale-brown lines. The stripped pattern of no two individuals is the same.
• My main terrestrial predators are the lion and spotted hyena, and I have to beware Nile crocodiles when crossing rivers.
• I am classified by the IUCN as Least Concern, but local populations and subspecies are threatened by human activities, like hunting for my meat and skin and converting my habitat for farmland.

Have You Guessed?

I am the plains zebra, the most common zebra species. A zebra starred with Katy Perry in her ‘Hot N Cold’ music video.

Information provided by Nikela volunteer Danielle Boobyer.