The long-legged Grevy's zebra, the biggest of the wild equids, is taller and heavier than the Burchell's, with a massive head and large ears.

Zebras have shiny coats that dissipate over 70 percent of incoming heat, and some scientists believe the stripes help the animals withstand intense solar radiation. The black and white stripes are a form of camouflage called disruptive coloration that breaks up the outline of the body. Although the pattern is visible during daytime, at dawn or in the evening when their predators are most active, zebras look indistinct and may confuse predators by distorting true distance.

The stripes on Grevy's zebras are more numerous and narrow than those of the plains zebra and do not extend to the belly. In all zebra species, the stripes on the forequarters form a triangular pattern; Grevy's have a similar pattern on the hindquarters, while others have a slanted or horizontal pattern.

It is estimated perhaps 5,000 Grevy's zebras remain in the wild.

Grevy's zebra live in arid, open bushed grassland. Their range formerly occurred from central Ethiopia to Somalia and northern Kenya. However due to poaching, it is now found only in northeastern Ethiopia and in some reserves in Kenya

Poaching of Grevy's zebras was a major problem during the 1970's, during which time many zebras were killed so their skins could be used in fashion. It wasn't until 1976, when Kenya passed protection laws that the zebra didn't have to worry if it's legacy was only to be a fashion statement.

However, new problems now exist which continue to threaten the Grevy's zebra survival.

The primary of these threats is the loss of grazing habitat and access to water due to competition with increasing herds of domestic livestock. Also, irrigation for these livestock has apparently reduced river flow and decreased the availability of surface water in parts of its Kenyan range.

Also, according to some reports, an additional threat to Grevy's zebra is the ‘uncontrolled tourism' in some of the reserves that are supposed to protect the animals. This tourism is apparently destroying the vegetation the need to survive.

African Wildlife Foundation researchers led by Dr. Paul Muoria are working to understand the Grevy's zebras of the Samburu Heartland . So far, they've found that 1,100 Grevy's zebras live in the southern Samburu, but less than ten percent frequent protected areas. Time and again, researchers find that Grevy's zebras migrate in areas where humans and livestock reside – placing them in direct competition for water and food.

The AWF team is working with local people to apply their findings to real-life conservation efforts. Together, they are exploring alternative land-uses, developing management plans and working to raise the legal status of Grevy's zebras from “game” to “protected” animal.

As the Grevy's Zebra Research Project moves forward, AWF plans to help local communities build capacity to manage the Samburu area's resources and protected areas. Working with the community to develop income-generating projects like ecotourism will reduce the pressure on pastoralists to have more and more livestock