QUAGGA

The Quagga went extinct...or did it? 

 The Quagga was thought to have been a unique species of zebra found throughout the plains of South Africa.  They got their name because of their "kwa-ha-ha" call.

 The Quagga was unique in its coloring which included black or brown stripes in the front similar to a zebra, but its back half was brown and resembled that of a horse.  They were 8 feet long and a little over 4 feet tall at the shoulder.

 The Quagga were heavily hunted by the Dutch when they settled in the region and the Quagga also had to compete against the new foraging livestock brought by the Dutch. The last Quagga died at the Amsterdam Zoo on August 12, 1883 or did it?

 DNA testing of a Quagga specimen showed that the Quagga was actually a subspecies (close relative) of the Plains Zebra.  In 1987 the Quagga Project was created to breed Plains Zebras with fewer stripes to see if they could "recreate" a Quagga (see the link below).

 So is the Quagga a unique species or simply a plains zebra with a different coloring that helped it better survive in its habitat?  Science seems to think it was not a unique species though the Quagga is one of the most well known extinct mammals in to go extinct in recent history.

 Additional Resources:
http://www.quaggaproject.org/Quagga-Graphic-Elements/PhotoGallery/PhotoGallery/slide.html
(these are the current "Quagga-like" zebras that are part of the Quagga Project)

http://www.quaggaproject.org/quagga-whatsnew.htm
(Meet the real Khumba, the latest addition to the Quagga Project named after the movie hero)

http://www.khumbamovie.com/

Khumba Movie
The "real" Khumba named after the cartoon character
A photo of a male Quagga at the London Zoo in 1870
A picture of a Plains Zebra







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