How to Tell if It Is a Boy Zebra or a Girl

Zebras are the wild cousins of horses. Although they're closer to donkeys and wild asses than domestic horses, people still have them as pets, and zoos and other wildlife sanctuaries often have them as part of their collections. Knowing how to tell the sex of a newborn zebra can help its keepers make informed decisions about what stock to keep and what stock to sell.

Things You'll Need

  • Pen
  • Feed
  • Secure fencing
  • Binoculars
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Instructions

    • 1

      Lure the mother zebra and her foal into a pen or other small enclosure (unless they're already in one).This is necessary because a zebra is a wild animal and, as such, dangerous to humans, especially when it's just given birth.

    • 2

      Feed the zebra and step away. Move around toward the back of the pen where you can get a rear view of mother and foal. Now you need to wait. It's likely the young foal will be dodging around its mother, trying to avoid you, so being still is necessary to avoid agitating it further.

    • 3

      Look closely at the tail of the new foal; wait for it to lift. When it does, you'll see the anus, which is directly under the root of the tail. If the foal is female, you'll see the vulva, the tear-shaped genital organs under the anus. If, below the anus, there's only smooth skin that goes all the way down to the crease in the foal's legs, it's male.

    • 4

      Kneel down, balancing on your heels, and stay still. Look closely under the belly of the foal, peering between its hind legs. If the foal is male, you'll see its penis dangling. It should be easy to spot because, when a foal is a newborn, it isn't able to withdraw its penis into the sheath.

    • 5

      Use binoculars if you can't get the mother or foal into a small, enclosed space. Using the same techniques as described above, you should be able to sex the foal easily.