gray wolf vs plains zebra

Canis lupus compared with Equus quagga

Key Differences

• gray wolf is Critically Endangered while plains zebra is Near Threatened.
• gray wolf is carnivore while plains zebra is herbivore.
• plains zebra is 7.8x heavier than gray wolf.
• plains zebra lives longer (25 years vs 13 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	gray wolf	plains zebra
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (cordados)	Chordata (cordados)
Class same	Mammalia (mamíferos)	Mammalia (mamíferos)
Order	Carnivora (carnívoros)	Perissodactyla (perissodáctilos)
Family	Canidae (Dogs & Wolves)	Equidae (Horses & Zebras)
Genus	Canis (Dogs & Wolves)	Equus (Horses & Zebras)
Species	Canis lupus	Equus quagga

Evolutionary Relationship

gray wolf and plains zebra share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (mamíferos)

Conservation Status

gray wolf

CR — Critically Endangered

Population: ~300.0K

Trend: Stable →

plains zebra

NT — Near Threatened

Population: ~750.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	gray wolf	plains zebra
Diet	Carnivore	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	13 years	25 years
Average Length	1.6 m	2.3 m
Average Weight	45.0 kg	350.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

gray wolf

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, deserts and xeric shrublands, and tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, among 13 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Seychelles), Asia (Japan), Europe (5 countries), North America (7 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (Marshall Islands, Vanuatu), and South America (5 countries). Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

plains zebra

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 5 distinct biome types within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, and Tanzania. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

gray wolf

O lobo-cinzento (Canis lupus), o canídeo selvagem mais amplamente distribuído, ocorre da América do Norte à Eurásia em habitats diversos, incluindo tundra, florestas e pradarias. São animais altamente sociais que vivem em matilhas familiares lideradas por um casal reprodutor dominante. Como predadores-chave, os lobos regulam as populações de presas e moldam profundamente a estrutura do ecossistema, como demonstrou sua reintrodução em Yellowstone. Antes muito perseguidos, as populações estão se recuperando em muitas regiões.

plains zebra

O equideo selvagem mais numeroso, as zebras-das-planices habitam pastagens e savanas do leste e sul da Africa em manadas que variam de pequenos grupos familiares a vastas agregacoes. Seus padroes de listras preto-e-brancas ousados sao unicos para cada individuo e podem servir para confundir predadores, deter insetos picadores e facilitar o reconhecimento individual. As zebras formam presa chave para leoes, hienas e crocodilos, sustentando as cadeias alimentares da savana.