Quagga

== Description ==
The quagga (Equus quagga quagga) is a subspecies of the Plains zebra that was endemic to South Africa until it was hunted to extinction in the late 19th century by European settler-colonists. Some were taken to zoos in Europe, but breeding programs were unsuccessful. The last wild population lived in the Orange Free State; the quagga was extinct in the wild by 1878. The last captive specimen died in Amsterdam on 12 August 1883. Only one quagga was ever photographed alive. The word "Quagga" derives from the Khoikhoi language and is an imitation of this animal's call.
== Appearance ==
The quagga was an easily recognized sub-species of the Plains zebra. Its coat pattern was unique among equids: zebra-like in the front but more like a horse in the rear. It had brown and white stripes on the head and neck, brown upper parts, and a white belly, tail, and legs. The stripes were boldest on the head and neck and became gradually fainter further down the body, blending with the reddish brown of the back and flanks, until disappearing along the back. It appears to have had a high degree of polymorphism, with some having almost no stripes and others having patterns similar to the extinct southern population of Burchell's zebra, where the stripes covered most of the body except for the hind parts, legs, and belly. It also had a broad dark dorsal stripe on its back. It had a standing mane with brown and white stripes. Living in the very southern end of the Plains zebra's range, the quagga had a thick winter coat that molted each year. Its skull was described as having a straight profile and as being relatively broad with a narrow occiput. Like other Plains zebras, the quagga did not have a dewlap on its neck as the Mountain zebra does.
== Distribution ==
The natural range of these animals covered the Karoo State as well as the southern portions of Free State (South Africa). Quaggas' preferred habitat was arid to temperate grasslands, occasionally - wetter pastures.
== Lifestyle ==
Quaggas were highly gregarious animals, forming large herds. The core of each group consisted of family members that lived with their natal herd throughout their lives. In order to find lost members of the community, the dominant male of the group emitted a special call, responded by other group members. Sick or crippled individuals were cared for by all group members, who used to slow down the pace in order to fit the slowest animal. Each of these herds controlled a rather small territory of 11 square miles (30 square km). However, when migrating, they could maintain larger home ranges of more than 232 square miles (600 square km). Quaggas generally led a diurnal lifestyle, spending their nighttime hours on short pastures, where they could notice approaching predators. However, during the night, group members used to wake up one by one to graze for about one hour without venturing far from the group. Additionally, they always had at least one herd member of the community, which kept an eye for potential threats while the group slept. Herds used to take regular trips from their sleeping areas to pastures and back, stopping to drink water during the midday.
== Diet ==
Quaggas generally maintained a grass-based diet.
== Reproduction ==
These mammals had a polygynous, harem-based mating system, where a single adult male-controlled and mated with a group of females. Females could yield offspring at any time of the year with a peak period, occurring at the beginning of summer, in December-January. Healthy females first yielded offspring at 3-3.5 years old and used to give birth once every two years. Upon reaching maturity, individuals of both genders would leave their natal group.
== Population ==
=== Population threats ===
Quaggas went extinct in the late 19th century, as a result of excessive and continuous hunting. They attracted hunters primarily for their hides and for consumption. Additionally, they competed with domestic livestock for food and hence were unwanted by local people. At that period of time, only a few people knew that this animal was a separate species, which was gradually going extinct. The last individual of this species was killed in the 1870s. The last captive individual died on August 12, 1883, in an Amsterdam zoo.
=== Population number ===
The Quagga is classified as Extinct (EX) on the IUCN Red List.
== Fun Facts ==
Like other species of their sub-genus, these ungulates had a hygiene ritual, which they performed every day. In order to remove parasites, they would stand side by side and nibble on each other's necks, manes, and backs. Additionally, oxbirds would ride on the back of these mammals, cleaning their coats.
Quaggas were the first grazing animals to consume tall grass vegetation as well as wet pastures of their range.
In the 1980s, a South African taxidermist Reinhold Rau organized the "Quagga Project". He suggested that Quaggas can be re-established through the selective breeding of modern-day zebras.
After about 25 years, multiple foals of this species have been yielded. These animals exhibit well-defined stripes on their heads, although stripes on their rumps are either quite pale or absent. By 2020, the "Quagga Project" is intending to have as many as 500 Quagga-like zebras and introduce 3 free-ranging populations of this species with more than 100 individuals in each population.
== Gallery ==
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== Main References ==
https://animalia.bio/quagga
Category:Animals
Category:Animalia
Category:Chordata
Category:Vertebrata
Category:Vertebrates
Category:Mammals
Category:Mammalia
Category:Perissodactyla
Category:Equidae
Category:Equus
Category:Diurnal Animals
Category:Herbivores
Category:Graminivores
Category:Terrestrial Animals
Category:Cursorial Animals
Category:Precocial Animals
Category:Grazers
Category:Viviparous Animals
Category:Polygynous Animals
Category:Social Animals
Category:Herding Animals
Category:Migrational Animals
Category:Extinct Animals
Category:African Animals
Category:Animals of South Africa