There are two sub-species of mountain zebra, the Hartmann's mountain zebra and the Cape mountain zebra. The Hartmann's are the largest of the two, they look whiter than the Cape mountain zebras because their black stripes are narrower and more widely spaced, the black stripes on the animals' sides do not meet on the belly.

Hartmann's mountain zebras prefer to live in small groups of up to 12 individuals made up of mares, foals and a dominant stallion. They are agile climbers and are able to live in arid conditions and steep mountainous country.

They have an average body length of 220cm and a tail length of 50cm, with an average shoulder height of 130-150cm, they can live up to 30 years in the wild.

The Hartmann Zebra are not considered to be seasonal breeders as they can give birth at any time of the year, although it is usually during the rainy season when there will be more grass. They have a gestation period of 300-365 days after which they give birth to one foal.