Zebras are a relative of the horse, and they live in Africa. They travel around in large groups called herds. All zebras are black and white striped.

Photo by World Resources Institute Staff

A zebu is a type of cow that has a big hump on its shoulders. They are better suited to hot climates than other kinds of domestic cattle.

Photo by Treesftf

A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship originally designed by German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century. The Zeppelin design was so popular the name became used for all rigid airships.

The most famous Zeppelin was the Hindenburg, which crashed spectacularly in 1937.

Photo by The_tahoe_guy

Zest is the outside, coloured layer of citrus fruit like lemons and oranges. It is used to add flavour to many different kinds of food. Zest is removed from citrus fruit using a special tool called a zester, or just with a regular grater.

Photo by Cowbite

A ziggurat is a stepped pyramid. They were mostly built as temples in what is now Iran and Iraq. The picture is of a modern ziggurat.

Photo by Rojer

A zigzag is a line that keeps changing direction, backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards, in a regular way. A lot of socks have zigzag patterns on them.

Photo by Steve & Jemma Copley

Zinc is a hard, brittle metal. It is most commonly used mixed with other metals to make alloys like brass, and as a coating on other metals to stop them rusting. Zinc stops other metals rusting because when it is attached to another metal it will rust before that other metal does. The other metal will then start to rust when all the zinc is gone.

Metal that is coated with zinc is called galvanized. If you look closely at galvanised metal you can see the zinc crystals.

Photo by Dno1967

Scientific name: zinnia elegans

A zinnia is a flower often found in people's gardens. They come in different colors and shapes depending on their type.

Photo by The County Clerk

A zip is a device that keeps your clothes closed. It is made from two strips of tiny teeth and a slider that meshes the teeth together when you zip it up and unmeshes them when you unzip it.

Zips are found on many, many kinds of clothing. Before zippers were so popular, people used buttons to keep clothes closed.

Photo by Swimfreak000

A zither is a stringed musical instrument that has a lot of strings like a harp but is flat, not vertical. It is found in Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, some parts of Germany and China.

Photo by R_neches