Equus burchelli Shoulder height 130cm. Weight 300–340kg.
Also known as common or plains zebra, this attractive striped horse is common and widespread throughout most of East and southern Africa, where it is often seen in large herds alongside wildebeest. It is common in most conservation areas from northern South Africa all the way up to the southeast of Ethiopia.

Most southern races, although not those found in Zambia, have paler brownish 'shadow stripes' between their bold black stripes. In Zambia, the subspecies in the Luangwa Valley is Crawshay's zebra (E. b. crawshaii), which also occurs on Nyika Plateau and possibly in Malawi's Vwaza Marsh. Norman Carr comments in his book on the Luangwa's wildlife (see Further Reading) that the zebra found to the west of the Muchinga escarpment belong to the E. b. zambeziensis subspecies.

Regardless of these minor taxonomic differences, zebra are widely distributed throughout Zambia, though they tend to be restricted by human activity to the more remote or protected areas. They lack the brown shadow-stripes of their cousins further south, but otherwise are very similar.