Wen | a small assistant to science popularization
In the era of cold weapons, being able to have a cavalry is definitely a big killing weapon, and when it comes to cavalry, we have to mention horses. As an indispensable mount in human society, the relationship between horses and humans can be traced back tens of thousands of years. On almost every continent on Earth, horses have been successfully tamed by humans.
But when you visit the zoo, have you ever thought of a question?
The zebras in the zoo are much cooler than horses, and their body shape is comparable to that of horses. Supposedly, our ancestors would not have failed to see the advantages of zebras. As the only horse species on the African continent, so far, we have never heard of any country in Africa that uses zebras as their mounts.
During the Warring States period, there was a very famous debate called Gongsun Long, who once put forward the sophistry theory of white horses and not horses. But many people may not imagine that the theory of white horses and non-horses is just a debating technique. The zebra does have some scientific evidence to prove that it is not a horse. To be precise, zebras are just one species in the equine family, and the relationship between the two is somewhat similar to that of lions and tigers.
The once family of the family of horses is also leafy on Earth, with more than twenty different species, large and small. Unfortunately, only three categories of eight animals remain to survive to this day. Among them are horses, donkeys and zebras. The rivalry between the three has been going their separate ways for more than four million years.
There are currently three species of zebras active on the African continent, one is the plain zebra, one is the mountain zebra, and the other is the finely striped zebra. After making it clear that zebras are not the basis of horses, let's talk about why humans, as the only horse on the African continent, have never tamed zebras?
First, we need to understand that the African continent is arguably the most competitive natural environment on Earth. There are not only lions, the king of all beasts, but also hunters who are known for their speed, such as leopards, but also hyenas, which are daunting animals. So for herbivores living on the African continent, there are only two options for survival, either to run or to fight.
Compared to other animals, zebras are not small, so their fastest speed is only sixty-five kilometers per hour. This speed basically can't shake off lions and leopards, so if zebras want to survive, relying on speed will not work. The only thing they can rely on is their fierce personality and extremely aggressive temper. It is precisely because zebras are aggressive and wild that they have not been tamed by humans for a long time.
Another point is that the habits of zebras are relatively unique, most of the herbivores on the African continent are mainly social, and zebras are no exception. However, for most zebra herds, the communication between members is mainly based on various roars, which makes zebras very fond of roaring. It doesn't matter if it is a roar, but the zebra's cry is extremely unpleasant, and it can even be described as harsh. Once tamed for half a night of crazy roaring, it is also a difficult thing to accept.
On the whole, the reason why zebras cannot be tamed by humans is partly because their personality is too strong, wild, aggressive, and the probability of domestication is minimal. On the other hand, it was because their calls were so hard to hear that they were eventually abandoned by humans.