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Today, The Grandma ha sreceived the wonderful visit of her closest friend Joseph de Ca'th Lon.
Joseph loves nature and they have been talking about the quagga, a subspecies of the plains zebra that was endemic to South Africa, whose last species died on a day like today in 1883.
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 Europeans.
It was long thought to be a distinct species, but early genetic studies have supported it being a subspecies of plains zebra. A more recent study suggested that it was the southernmost cline or ecotype of the species.
The quagga is believed to have been around 257 cm long and 125-135 cm tall at the shoulder. It was distinguished from other zebras by its limited pattern of primarily brown and white stripes, mainly on the front part of the body. The rear was brown and without stripes, and appeared more horse-like. The distribution of stripes varied considerably between individuals.
Little is known about the quagga's behaviour, but it may have gathered into herds of 30-50. Quaggas were said to be wild and lively, yet were also considered more docile than the related Burchell's zebra. They were once found in great numbers in the Karoo of Cape Province and the southern part of the Orange Free State in South Africa.
After the European settlement of South Africa began, the quagga was extensively hunted, as it competed with domesticated animals for forage. Some were taken to zoos in Europe, but breeding programmes 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, and only 23 skins exist today.
More information: The Quagga Project
In 1984, the quagga was the first extinct animal whose DNA was analysed.
The Quagga Project is trying to recreate the phenotype of hair coat pattern by selectively breeding the genetically closest subspecies, which is Burchell's zebra.
It has been historically suggested that the name quagga is derived from the Khoikhoi word for zebra, thereby being an onomatopoeic word, resembling the quagga's call, variously transcribed as kwa-ha-ha, kwahaah, or oug-ga. The name is still used colloquially for the plains zebra.
The quagga was originally classified as a distinct species, Equus quagga, in 1778 by Dutch naturalist Pieter Boddaert. Traditionally, the quagga and the other plains and mountain zebras were placed in the subgenus Hippotigris.
The quagga is believed to have been 257 cm long and 125-135 cm tall at the shoulder.
The quagga was the southernmost distributed plains zebra, mainly living south of the Orange River. It was a grazer, and its habitat range was restricted to the grasslands and arid interior scrubland of the Karoo region of South Africa, today forming parts of the provinces of Northern Cape, Eastern Cape, Western Cape and the Free State.
These areas were known for distinctive flora and fauna and high amounts of endemism. Quaggas have been reported gathering into herds of 30-50, and sometimes travelled in a linear fashion. They may have been sympatric with Burchell's zebra between the Vaal and Orange rivers. This is disputed, and there is no evidence that they interbred. It could also have shared a small portion of its range with Hartmann's mountain zebra (Equus zebra hartmannae).
More information: L'Ermitage-Quagga Lodge
Quaggas have been identified in cave art attributed to the indigenous San people of Southern Africa.
As it was easy to find and kill, the quagga was hunted by early Dutch settlers and later by Afrikaners to provide meat or for their skins. The skins were traded or exploited. The quagga was probably vulnerable to extinction due to its restricted range. Local farmers used them as guards for their livestock, as they were likely to attack intruders.
Quaggas were said to be lively and highly strung, especially the stallions. Quaggas were brought to European zoos, and an attempt at captive breeding at London Zoo, but was halted when a lone stallion killed itself by bashing itself against a wall after losing its temper. On the other hand, captive quaggas in European zoos were said to be tamer and more docile than Burchell's zebra. One specimen was reported to have lived in captivity for 21 years and 4 months, dying in 1872.
The quagga had disappeared from much of its range by the 1850s. The last population in the wild, in the Orange Free State, was extirpated in the late 1870s. The last known wild quagga died in 1878. The specimen in London died in 1872 and the one in Berlin in 1875.
The last captive quagga, a female in Amsterdam's Natura Artis Magistra zoo, lived there from 9 May 1867 until it died on 12 August 1883, but its origin and cause of death are unclear.
The extinction of the quagga was internationally accepted by the 1900 Convention for the Preservation of Wild Animals, Birds and Fish in Africa.
The Quagga Project: progress over 20 years of selective breeding
so capable of domestication and use,
and to be found not long since in so great abundance,
should have been allowed to be swept
from the face of the earth,
is surely a disgrace to our latter-day civilization.
Henry Bryden
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