Zebro

Not to be confused with zebra.

Leading theories for the medieval animals described as zebros. Clockwise from upper left: a native wild horse possibly related to the Sorraia breed, the European wild ass, a feralized horse or donkey, and the Asiatic wild ass.

A zebro was a wild horse or horse-like animal that many medieval authors reported living in the Iberian Peninsula until the 16th century. Medieval sources described it as an ashen-colored animal with a dorsal stripe, smaller than domesticated horses, and difficult to tame. It is not certain if they had stripes on other areas. They were hunted as a game animal during the medieval period. Their hides were used to make shoes and shields. Their meat was described as delicious and reported to cure laziness. The zebro likely went extinct by the 16th century.

Portuguese explorers may have named the African zebra after the zebro. Modern scholars are not certain what species they were. The four leading theories are that the zebro was a native wild horse possibly related to the Sorraia breed, the extinct European wild ass, another name for the Asiatic wild ass, or a feralized equid.