Zebra Foal Colouring

Meet a striped zebra parent and its curious foal as they share a quiet meal on the African grasslands. Plains zebras are native to eastern and southern Africa, where they live on open savannas, grassy plains and lightly wooded country. Their bold black-and-white stripes are unique to each animal, rather like human fingerprints. The stripes may help zebras recognize one another and can also make it harder for biting flies to land. An adult plains zebra is usually about 1.2 to 1.4 metres tall at the shoulder and may weigh roughly 230 to 380 kilograms. In the wild, many live for around 20 to 25 years. Zebra families are social. A small family group often includes one stallion, several mares and their young. A newborn foal can stand surprisingly soon after birth and learns its mother's stripe pattern, smell and voice. The foal stays close for safety while it grows strong enough to keep pace with the herd. Zebras spend much of each day grazing, and they may travel to find fresh grass and water. In this scene, the adult and foal lower their heads to nibble grass while a distant acacia tree and gentle hills suggest their sunny savanna home. For a natural look, leave the zebra bodies white and colour the outlined stripes black or very dark brown. You can also invent a playful striped pattern using purple, blue or rainbow colours. Try warm tan, gold and olive green for the grassland, soft green for the acacia leaves, and pale blue for the sky. Use a lighter brown or cream inside the ears and around the muzzles. Colour slowly along the curved stripe shapes so the pattern follows each body. Short crayon strokes can make the grass look textured, while broad, smooth strokes work well in the open sky. Add a bright sun, tiny flowers or a few distant birds if you would like to personalize the peaceful family adventure.

◫ A4 size✎ Bold outlines♡ Ages 3–8

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Grown-up note: Please supervise printing and choose age-appropriate art materials.