The quagga (/ˈkwɑːxɑː/ or /ˈkwæɡə/)[2][3] (Equus quagga quagga) was a special type of plains zebra that lived only in South Africa. Sadly, it was hunted so much that it disappeared completely by the late 1800s. For a long time, people thought the quagga was its own separate species, but recent DNA studies showed it was actually just a subspecies of the plains zebra. Even more recent research suggests it might have been the southernmost variation, or ecotype, of the plains zebra family.
Geographic Range
The quagga, native to southern Africa, used to roam in large herds across the Karoo region of the Cape Province and the southern part of the Orange Free State. Sadly, this unique animal is now extinct.
- Biogeographic Regions
- neotropical
Habitat
Quaggas were often found in arid to temperate grasslands, and sometimes wetter pastures.
- Terrestrial Biomes
- desert or dune
- savanna or grassland
Physical Description
The quagga (Equus quagga) is a recently extinct animal that was closely related to horses and zebras. These zebras stood about 53 inches tall and weighed between 500 and 700 pounds. The quagga was actually a close cousin of the Burchell’s zebra (Equus burchelli), and the main difference between them was in their stripes.
Burchell’s zebras have bold black stripes on a white background, with some brownish “shadow” stripes in between. Interestingly, there’s a lot of variation—some even have almost no stripes on their hindquarters! Quagga specimens in museums show dark stripes on their head and neck, but as you look further back, the stripes fade and blend into a plain brownish color.
Here’s a fun fact: just like human fingerprints, no two zebras have the same stripe pattern, which makes it easy for scientists to tell individuals apart.
- Other Physical Features
- endothermic
- bilateral symmetry
- Range mass250 to 300 kg550.66 to 660.79 lb
Reproduction
Quaggas had a social setup called polygyny, which means one adult male (called a harem stallion) would lead and mate with a small group of females. But becoming a harem stallion wasn’t easy — young males had to “steal” females (called fillies) who were ready to mate, one by one, from their fathers’ herds. Fillies usually started showing signs of being ready to mate — including a distinct posture — between the ages of one and two. Whenever a filly was in heat, usually for about five days each month, several stallions would show up, challenging the current harem leader and fighting each other for the chance to win her over. This could go on for months — sometimes nearly a year — before the filly finally got pregnant. While quagga foals could be born at any time of year, most births happened between December and January, lining up with East Africa’s rainy season. Female quaggas in good health typically had a new foal every two years, starting around age 3 to 3.5.
- Key Reproductive Features
- iteroparous
- gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
- sexual
- viviparous
Lifespan/Longevity
- Average lifespan
Status: captivity40.0 yearsMax Planck Institute for Demographic Research - Average lifespan
Status: wild20.0 yearsMax Planck Institute for Demographic Research
Behavior
Quaggas lived in big, close-knit herds that were often made up of lifelong family members. They really looked out for each other. If someone from the group got separated, the family stallion would use a special call to find them — and soon, the whole herd would join in the call until the lost member found their way back. If one quagga was sick or injured, the entire herd would slow down to match its pace, making sure no one got left behind.
These family groups usually stayed within a home range of about 30 square kilometers (11 square miles) when living in good habitats. But in more migratory populations, they could travel much farther — even covering up to 600 square kilometers (232 square miles).
Quaggas were mostly active during the day, but they didn’t completely shut down at night. When it got dark, they preferred staying on short, open grasslands where it was easier to spot danger. They’d graze a little — usually an hour or so at a time — but mostly stayed still. While the rest of the herd slept, at least one quagga would stay awake, keeping watch. As soon as the sun came up, especially in warm weather, the whole group would start moving again, sometimes traveling more than 17 kilometers (over 10 miles) to find fresh grass before settling in for the next night
- Key Behaviors
- motile
Communication and Perception
Food Habits
The quagga was actually a pretty successful grazer, even though it often had to share its space with large numbers of wildebeest, who liked the same grazing areas. Despite the competition, quaggas held their own — in fact, they were often the first ones to step into tall grassy areas or even wet pastures, leading the way for other grazers to follow.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
The Quagga was hunted to extinction by hunters and European settlers, who used their skins for grain bags, and prized them for their colors and patterns.
Conservation Status
The very last quagga died in the Amsterdam Zoo in the Netherlands on August 12, 1883. As for the wild ones, the last quagga in South Africa was likely killed by hunters a few years earlier — probably around 1878.
For a long time, the quagga was thought to be a completely separate species and was listed as extinct. But more recent research has shown that it was actually a subspecies of the Burchell’s zebra. With this new understanding, the South African Museum in Cape Town has started a special project: they’re selectively breeding Burchell’s zebras that have fewer stripes on their hindquarters, hoping to bring back the quagga’s unique look — or at least something very close to it.
Contributors
Debra L. Rodriguez (author), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
Glossary
Neotropical
living in the southern part of the New World. In other words, Central and South America.
bilateral symmetry
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.chemical
In desert areas where rainfall is super low — usually less than 30 cm a year — and totally unpredictable, the landscape is shaped by plants and animals that have learned how to survive in dry, tough conditions. You won’t see thick forests here; vegetation is usually sparse, though sometimes, after a rare rainfall, the desert can surprise everyone with a burst of colorful flowers.
Deserts can be hot or cold, and the temperatures often swing wildly between day and night. In sand dune areas, things are even drier. That’s because sand doesn’t hold onto water, so plants struggle to get what they need. And if the dunes are near the sea, there’s another challenge: salt from the air and soil. That salt makes it even harder for plants to absorb water through their roots.
Animals that live in these deserts, especially endothermic ones (those that control their body temperature, like mammals and birds), have some pretty impressive survival strategies to deal with the heat, cold, and dryness.
Endothermic animals are able to keep their body temperature steady, no matter what the temperature is like outside — and they do it by producing heat from within, through their metabolism. This ability, known as endothermy, is one of the key features that all mammals share. Scientists believe it may have first evolved in an ancient ancestor of mammals, though the fossil record doesn’t give a clear answer.
Interestingly, birds also developed endothermy on their own — a great example of convergent evolution, where different species evolve similar traits to solve the same challenges
having the capacity to move from one place to another.native range
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.sexual
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a femaletactile
uses touch to communicatetropical savanna and grassland
A A savanna is a type of land habitat, or terrestrial biome, that looks like a wide open grassland with a few trees scattered around — but not enough to form a full, shady canopy like in a forest. You’ll find these beautiful, open landscapes in parts of Africa, South America, and Australia, especially in tropical and subtropical areas. Savannas are known for their golden grasses, big skies, and the amazing variety of wildlife that call them home.
A temperate grassland is a wide, open area covered mostly in grasses, with a few trees or small clusters of trees here and there. It’s kind of like a middle ground between a forest and a plain grassland — not too wooded, not too bare. These landscapes are calm, breezy, and full of life, and they change beautifully with the seasons. For similar environments in warmer regions, you might want to check out tropical savannas and the grassland biome too!
A Temperate grasslands are land-based biomes found in the temperate zones of the world — that’s anywhere above 23.5° north or south of the equator. These areas are mostly covered in grasses, and the types and height of those grasses really depend on how much water the area
References
South Africa’s Threatened Wildlife, 1993. http://www.infoweb.co.za/enviro/etbook/page2.htm
Planet Wildlife, 1993. http://www.planetpets.simplenet.com/plntzbra.htm
Spook Skeleton’s “The Safari Companion” by Richard Estes, 1992. http://users.exis.net/spook.zebratxt.html
Hannover Zoo Animals, 1991. http://www2.zoo-hannover.de/zoo/animals/zebra.html