Zebra stripes. Why is a zebra striped? Quagga, zebra quagga, extinct quagga Why is the zebra striped

In the 17th century, the African continent was a kind of terra incognita, full of secrets and mysteries. Animal world Africa was then extremely diverse. There at that time one could meet such representatives of the fauna of the Earth as the Atlas bear, blue horse antelope, Burchell's zebra and quagga zebra.

Starting from the second half of the XVIII centuries, many European travelers and scientists went to a distant and mysterious continent in order to study its animals and vegetable world. It is known that F. Lavaillant visited Africa in 1777, who later became the author of a multi-volume work devoted to the description of its African adventures. It was Lavaillant who became the first scientist to introduce Europeans to the zebra quagga, numerous herds of which grazed at that time in the spacious savannah between the Vaal and Orange Rivers. Naturalists classify the quagga as an independent species, related to zebras themselves. There were frequent cases when zebras and quaggas formed herds with antelopes. However, the former never mixed with each other and always grazed nearby. The famous naturalist, author of a number of well-known works devoted to the description of various animals, A. Brem spoke about the quagga as follows: “Its body is built very well, its head is beautiful, average size, legs are strong. A short, straight mane runs along the entire neck, and the whisk on the tail is longer than that of other brindle horses. The main color of the skin is brown. Grayish-white stripes with a red tint run across the head, neck and shoulders. Between the eyes and mouth the stripes form a triangle.”

Quaggas were somewhat smaller than zebras that still exist today. The body length of males rarely exceeded 2 m, and the height at the withers was no more than 1.3 m. Local residents identified quaggas among the many species of zebras that lived in Africa. They called them "idabe", "igwaha" and "goaha". The meat and skin of these graceful animals have long been valued by the aborigines. However, hunting local residents did not provide significant influence to reduce the number of quaggas. Serious damage to the population was caused by the descendants of settlers from Holland, the Boers. They shot tens of thousands of quaggas for their tough skin and tender meat. As a result, the number of quaggas began to gradually decline. And after just a few decades, these animals fell into the category of endangered and rare.

At the end of the 19th century, Europeans tried to save the quagga. In 1878, several horses were taken from Africa and placed in the best zoos in Europe. However, the animals were unable to adapt to life in captivity and soon died. On August 12, 1883, the last representative of the quagga species died. To date, only 19 skins of this ungulate, several skulls and one complete skeleton have been preserved in the world.

A close relative of the quagga is Burchell's zebra, which also once lived in Africa. This species did not last long after the death of the quagga. In 1910, it disappeared from nature, and in 1911, the last individual died in the Hamburg Zoo.

Domain: Eukaryotes

Kingdom: Animals

Type: Chordates

Class: Mammals

Squad: Odd-toed ungulates

Family: Equine

Genus: Horses

Subgenus: Zebras

Range, habitats

The main habitat of the Burchell's or Savannah zebra is represented by the southeastern part African continent. According to the observations of experts, the habitat of lowland subspecies is savannas East Africa, and South part mainland, Sudan and Ethiopia. Grevy's species has become quite widespread throughout the subequatorial belt in eastern Africa, including Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and Somalia, as well as Meru. Mountain zebras inhabit the highlands of South Africa and Namibia at an altitude of no more than two thousand meters.

Adult zebras and young animals of these artiodactyl animals love to roll around in ordinary dust.

Among other things, “striped horses” get along well with a small bird called a bull woodpecker. The birds sit on the zebra and use their beaks to select various harmful insects from the skin. Artiodactyls are able to calmly graze in the company of many other harmless herbivores, including buffalos, antelopes, gazelles and giraffes, as well as ostriches.

Description of zebra

A zebra is an animal of the class Mammals, order Odd-toed ungulates, equine family, genus horse, subgenus zebra (lat. Hippotigris).

The origin of the word “zebra” most likely has African roots, and was borrowed by the colonists from the Aborigines, whose dialect contains the word “zebra”.

Zebra is an animal with a medium-sized body, reaching more than 2 meters in length. The weight of a zebra is 300-350 kg. She has a tail middle length, usually grows up to 50 cm. The male zebra is larger than the female, its height at the withers is 1.4 - 1.5 meters. These animals have a fairly dense and stocky build. The zebra's legs are short, ending in strong hooves.

The zebra's mane is short and stiff. The central row of pile runs along the back with a characteristic “brush” from the head all the way to the tail. The zebra's neck is muscular; in males it is thicker. Zebras do not run as fast as horses, but if necessary they can reach speeds of up to 80 km/h. If chased, the zebra uses special tactics running in zigzags, which, coupled with special endurance, makes the animal unattainable prey for many predators.

The zebra has very poor eyesight, but has a well-developed sense of smell, which allows the animal to sense potential danger at a considerable distance and warn its native herd in time.

The sounds made by zebras are very diverse. They are similar to the barking of a dog, the neighing of a horse, the cries of a donkey, etc. It all depends on the situation in which the zebra screams. Under favorable circumstances, the life expectancy of a zebra is wild conditions reaches 25-30 years, in captivity - up to 40 years.

Zebra stripes. Why is a zebra striped?

Many people ask the question: “What color is a zebra? White or black." There is still debate about the color of the zebra: the animal is white with black stripes or vice versa. Scientists say that the dominant color is still black. In any case, the stripes on a zebra's skin form a unique pattern for each individual, just as no two tigers have the same stripes.

The zebra's stripes on the neck and head are located vertically, the animal's body is painted with stripes at an angle, and the legs are decorated with horizontal stripes. Interesting feature– zebra cubs recognize their mother by their unique stripe pattern.

The zebra's stripes are a kind of protection: the animal visually merges with the hot, trembling air of the savannah, disorienting predators. It is also a camouflage against horseflies and Tsetse flies, which react only to polarized color and perceive the zebra as an inedible object, representing a flickering of black and white stripes.

The last explanation is that zebra stripes thermoregulate the animal's body. There is an opinion that the black and white coloring of the zebra can cool the animal. The fact is that areas of the body heat up differently: white areas are weaker, black areas are stronger. The difference in temperature causes microcirculation of air currents near the animal, which helps the zebra live under the scorching sun.

Zebra species

The zebra subgenus includes only 3 species:

• Burchellova(savanna) zebra(lat. Equus quagga or Equus burchelli) is the most common species, which received its name in honor of the English botanist William Burchell. The pattern on the skin of this type of zebra varies depending on its habitat, which is why 6 subspecies have been identified. The northern subspecies have a more pronounced pattern, the southern subspecies are distinguished by a blurred stripe pattern on the lower part of the body and the presence of beige stripes on the white background of the zebra skin. The size of the Burchell's zebra is 2-2.4 meters, the tail length is 47-57 cm, the height of the zebra at the withers reaches 1.4 meters. The weight of the Burchell's zebra is 290-340 kg. The habitat of this zebra species covers the southeastern part of the African continent. Burchell's zebra, unlike the desert zebra, is smaller in size and has sparser stripes. Unlike the mountain zebra, the Burchell's zebra does not have a bulge in the neck and does not have a lattice pattern on the rump.

• Grevy's zebra (desert zebra)(lat. Equus grevyi) is named after one of the presidents of France, Jules Grevy, who received a gift in the form of a striped animal from the authorities of Abyssinia at the end of the 19th century. Representatives of the desert zebra species are considered the largest animals from the entire equine family, have long body up to 3 m and weigh over 400 kg. The length of the desert zebra's tail reaches 50 cm. Distinctive feature species is predominantly white or white-yellow in color and wide dark stripe, running down the middle of the back. The stripes of Grévy's zebra are thinner than those of other zebra species and are located closer friend to friend. The color of the stripes is black or black-brown. There are no stripes on the belly. Zebra ears are brown in color and round in shape. This species of zebra is common in subequatorial belt eastern part of the African continent: Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Somalia, Meru.
• mountain zebra ( lat. Equus zebra) has the darkest coloration with a predominance of black color and thin white stripes. The stripes on the legs extend to the hooves. The weight of the mountain zebra is 260-370 kg, the length of the zebra is 2.2 meters, the height of the zebra is 1.2-1.5 meters.

The species forms 2 subspecies:

1. cape mountain zebra(lat. Equus zebra zebra) is protected by the South African states due to excessive extermination in the early 20th century. On this moment approximately 400 representatives of the subspecies live in national parks South Africa, near the Cape of Good Hope. The Cape zebra is the most small view zebras. The thinnest stripes of the animal are located on the head. There are no stripes on the belly. The height of the Cape zebra at the withers is 116-128 cm, the weight of the female (mare) reaches 234 kg, the weight of the stallion is 250-260 kg. The Cape zebra differs from Hartmann's zebra in having slightly thicker stripes and longer ears.
2. Hartmann's mountain zebra(lat. Equus zebra hartmannae) is also on the verge of extinction, subject to merciless shooting by farmers protecting pastures for their livestock. Compared to the 20th century, the population has decreased 8 times and, according to the latest data, there are about 15 thousand individuals living in the mountainous regions of Namibia. Hartmann's mountain zebra is larger than the Cape zebra and has narrower black stripes. The height of Harman's zebra at the withers is 1.5 meters, the weight of the zebra is 250-350 kg.

• Zebroids and Zebrulas(ponisebr or zebrapon, oslozebra)- hybrids of a zebra and a domestic horse, as well as a zebra and a donkey, first crossed in 1815. For hybridization, a male zebra and a female of other members of the family are usually used. Zebroids are more horse-like and share part of their father's striped coloring. Hybrids are quite aggressive, but they are more trainable than zebras, so they are used as riding and pack animals.

• Quagga (lat. Equus quagga quagga)- an extinct species of zebra. According to modern researchers, the quagga is a subspecies of Burchell's zebra. They lived in South Africa. On the front they had the striped coloring of all zebras, and on the back they had the bay coloring of a horse. Their body length was 180 cm. Quaggas were tamed by humans and were used to guard herds. The world's last quagga zebra died at the Amsterdam Zoo in 1883.

Zebra lifestyle

The animal lives in herds, where the head is one male, next to whom several females live. The head of the family is the main guarantor of peace and security for his mares and offspring. He fiercely defends his herd and sometimes enters into unequal battles with predators.

At these moments, the peace-loving zebra becomes a fierce fighter and shows a strong character, tempers and justified aggression.

Animals distinguish each other by:

• smell;
• voice;
• patterns on the body.

The main feature of the horse's relative is that it sleeps standing up. To do this, all individuals of the herd huddle together to protect themselves from predators.

Interesting facts about zebras: the animal’s mood can be determined by its ears. In a peaceful and good mood ears stand straight. During the manifestation of fear they are directed forward, anger - backward. Animal aggression is manifested by nervous snorting. When a predator approaches, the zebra begins to make a barking sound. It is very difficult to tame an individual.

Zebra diet

Zebras are herbivores that primarily feed on a variety of herbaceous plant species, as well as bark and shrubs. An adult artiodactyl animal prefers to feed on short and green grass, which grows in close proximity to the ground. There are some differences in diet different types and subspecies of zebra. Desert zebras most often feed on fairly coarse herbaceous vegetation, which is practically not digested by many other animals belonging to the equine family. Also, these species are characterized by eating fibrous grasses with a rigid structure, including Eleusina.

Desert zebras, which massively inhabit arid areas, actively eat bark and foliage, which is due to the lack of conditions favorable for the growth of grass. The mountain zebra's diet is largely grass-based, including Themeda triandra and many other common species. Some artiodactyl mammals can eat buds and shoots, fruits and corn stalks, as well as the roots of many plants.

To function properly, zebras need sufficient water every day. All representatives of the equine family spend a significant part of the daylight hours grazing naturally.

Reproduction and lifespan

Zebras do not have a specific breeding season. The peak birth rate occurs at the beginning of the rainy season, which lasts from December to March. The gestation period is 350-390 days. Females most often give birth to one foal, but in rare cases there may be twins. The weight of a newborn is approximately 30 kilograms. The baby almost immediately gets to his feet and follows his mother.

There is a very high mortality rate among children. Death most often occurs from predators. Only 50% of foals survive to 1 year of age. The mother feeds the baby with milk for 16 months. Females bear offspring once every 3 years. Sexual maturity in these animals occurs at 1.5 years. The female gives birth for the first time at the age of 3 years. They retain the ability to give birth until they are 18 years old. Life expectancy of zebras wildlife is 25-30 years, and in captivity this period increases to 40 years.

Natural enemies

Who attacks the zebra? Her main enemy – African lion. The zebra is also attacked by other African predators - cheetahs, leopards, tigers; at a watering hole it is threatened by an alligator; babies are often killed by hyenas.

Nature, in order to protect the zebra, awarded it with excellent eyesight and hearing. Moreover, the zebra very timid and cautious. When the herd is grazing or resting at a watering hole, one or two striped horses are on duty, carefully looking around and listening. At the slightest alarm, they give a signal and the entire herd runs away. Zebra jumps at a speed of 65 km/h, she meanders no worse than a hare, abruptly changing direction and not allowing the predator to grab her.

To protect foals, adult zebras rear, bite and kick.

Most often, an animal in captivity is in a zoo and its maintenance is completely similar to caring for wild horses:

• kept in stalls protected from weather;
• They offer regular horse feed for food;
• control overeating.

Animals should not be given human food, especially bread, corn flakes, chips, or sugar cubes. Such nutrition provokes a number of diseases and shortens the life of an individual.

Zoo workers periodically trim the hooves, since in captivity an animal cannot fully grind them off on its own, which leads to severe suffering and pain.

They try to keep adult males separately so that they do not behave aggressively towards each other. Hybrids are used on the farm like ordinary horses or donkeys and are kept in the same way.

Not only representatives of the horse family are called zebra. These could be exotic fish and the popular snail, which received the prefix zebra to their names because of their unusual, bright color.

Video

Sources

https://nashzeleniymir.ru/zebra

In this article we continue to talk about those animals that once inhabited our Earth a very long time ago, but, unfortunately, they could not survive to our time. Today we will talk about Quagga.

The quagga is an odd-toed ungulate, which at one time was considered a separate species zebras. Nowadays, scientists have proven that this ancient animal belongs to the subspecies of Burchell's zebra. The modern zebra and the Quagga differ only in that the modern zebra has a completely striped body color, while nature endowed the Quagga with a striped color only on the front, and on the back it has the color of a bay horse. This animal is one hundred and eighty centimeters long. Habitat, as scientists say, South Africa.

In that distant and forgotten time, the Burrs, that is, the people who at that time inhabited the lands where the Quaggas lived, killed them because of their durable skin. In addition, this ancient animal is practically the only one among all extinct animals that was tamed by humans to protect herds of domestic animals. They were excellent watchmen, since much earlier than other domestic animals, such as cows, sheep and chickens, they sensed the approach of a predator and loudly shouted “kwaha”, as if warning people. By the way, thanks to their cry they got their name.

Unfortunately, the last Quagga that lived in the wild was killed in 1878, and the last Quagga that was kept in captivity was lost to humanity in 1883. All that remains today from this amazing ancient animal are nineteen skins, some skulls, a few photographs and pictures.

With the participation of veterinarians, zoological experts, breeders and geneticists, a project was launched in 1987 with the task of restoring the ancient animal Quagga. Through selection, as a result of long-term work, nine animals of this species were bred, which were placed for observation in Etosha Park, which is located in Namibia.

At the beginning of 2005, a stallion named Henry, who is a representative of the third generation of Quagga, finally saw the light of day. The baby born looks much more like a typical Quagga than some exhibits on display in museums, which were made from the natural skin of an ancient extinct animal. Today, scientists are more confident than ever that the launched project, the goal of which is to restore the ancient animal, will end complete success, and pretty soon this amazing animal will again inhabit the open spaces South Africa.

As you can see, now, in our age of nanotechnology, almost everything is possible. Restoring nature is a rather labor-intensive, complex and expensive process. So let's live in such a way that in the distant future scientists will not have to work on restoring in nature, for example, the wolf, fox, tiger, and indeed any other animal that seems to live safely today.

• Class: Mammalia Linnaeus, 1758 = Mammals
• Subclass: Theria Parker et Haswell, 1879= Viviparous mammals, true animals
• Infraclass: Eutheria, Placentalia Gill, 1872= Placental, higher animals
• Superorder: Ungulata = Ungulates
• Order: Perissodactyla Owen, 1848 = Odd-toed, odd-toed
• Family: Equidae Gray, 1821 = Equidae

Species: Equus quagga = Quagga.

Many of you are reading the stories of the English writer Mine Reid about the travels and adventures of a hunter in South Africa. The heroes of his books show extraordinary ingenuity and endurance, getting out of the most dangerous and hopeless situations in which they find themselves during hunting wanderings. One day, the family of a Dutch settler found themselves in a completely wild area. Their horses, bitten by the tsetse fly, became ill and died. But young hunters managed to catch and train quaggas, the most common South African ungulates, to saddle.

The last living quagga. Amsterdam Zoo, 1883

When you first look at a quagga, it’s hard to get rid of the impression that this is some kind of hybrid of a horse, a donkey and a zebra. The stripes on its head and neck make it look like a zebra, its light legs make it look like a donkey, and its solid dun croup resembles that of a horse. However, the physique, shape of the head, short erect mane and tail with a tassel at the end give the animal a real zebra, albeit an unusually colored one.

The literature has repeatedly provided information about tame, trained quaggas, but in general zebras are difficult to tame. They are wild, vicious, and defend themselves from enemies with powerful teeth and more often with front rather than hind hooves. There have been cases when a person received serious injuries from zebra bites.

Once upon a time, herds of thousands of quaggas shook the spaces of the South African steppe - the veld - with the thunder of their hooves. All travelers of the past knew that the quagga is the most normal look zebras living south of the Limpopo River. Like other relatives, she led a nomadic lifestyle, constantly moving in search of food - herbaceous vegetation. During seasonal migrations to new pastures, small schools of animals merged into large herds, and even mixed aggregations of different types of herbivores often formed.

IN late XVIII - early XIX century, the situation began to gradually change. The Dutch colonists, the Boers, who landed on the southern tip of the continent, began to push the inhabitants of the wild further north, occupying the land for pastures, crops and farms. The first rifle shots sounded in the veld.

It is to this period that Mine Reed's narrative dates back. It would seem that the quagga was in no danger - she was a worthless trophy, since she did not have tasty meat, beautiful horns like antelopes, or valuable skin like predators. Occasionally, white settlers fed quagga meat to native slaves, the skin of the animals was used for belts, and waterskins were sometimes made from the stomach. True, pastoralists considered the quagga, like other ungulates, a competitor to their livestock and at times staged grandiose round-ups, destroying hundreds of animals.

And in the middle of the 19th century the situation worsened even more. England took possession of the Cape Colony, and the Boers were forced to move to the interior of South Africa. Now flaring up, now fading, battles took place between the Boers and the British; a constant war was waged by the Europeans and against the indigenous population. Farmers, traders, soldiers, and adventurers arrived from Europe. Finally, diamond placers and rich deposits of gold, lead, uranium ores. The rapid development of the territory began, and mines, settlements, and cities arose in once empty places. Virgin land for a short time turned into a densely populated industrial area.

The most famous African animal that became extinct due to human causes was the quagga. The last individuals were killed around 1880, and the world's last quagga died in 1883 at the Amsterdam Zoo.

Do you know how much rare species disappeared due to human fault? Extermination for food, skin and pleasure has led to a number that is simply too numerous to count at the moment. The most beautiful creatures are destroyed irrevocably.

In today's article we will introduce you to another unusual animal, which, unfortunately, is extinct. This is a quagga.

Appearance

The quagga is an odd-toed ungulate, previously considered a separate representative of the species. However, today it has been proven that this is a subspecies of Burchell's zebra.

The wonderful animal had an unusual color: a striped head and neck, like the zebras we are used to, and a solid bay croup, like a horse.

But, nevertheless, the quagga is considered a zebra due to numerous characteristics: the shape of the head, a short, stiff mane, a tail ending in a tassel, and body type. The only difference is the color. Zebras usually have a completely striped body, but the quagga only had stripes on the front.

The brown and white stripes were bright on the head and neck, and then they became dull, as if the artist had run out of paint. On the back and sides the stripes completely disappeared into a brown color. The back was also decorated with a dark wide stripe. The mane was as striped as the head and neck.

The animal's body length was 180 cm, height at the withers was 120 cm. Quaggas lived for about 20 years.

Quagga lived in South Africa. Unfortunately, the Boers, the people who inhabited these territories, destroyed the beautiful zebras because of their skin, which had high rate strength.

It’s hard to imagine now, but once upon a time huge herds of quaggas filled the vast expanses of the South African steppe. Characteristic of them was a nomadic lifestyle, so they constantly moved, looking for food.

Domestication and extermination

Surprisingly, the zebra quagga was a domesticated animal. People used them to protect livestock, since quaggas had one feature: earlier than other animals, they noticed an approaching predator and screamed loudly, notifying people about it.

But, as often happens, having tamed a beautiful and intelligent creature, people began to exterminate it.

The Last Quagga, Amsterdam Zoo

The first reason mentioned earlier was the quagga skin.

Later, people decided that zebras took up too much space, and therefore began to use their land for farms and pastures, thus displacing the animals.

But the key moment in the extermination of the quagga was the war between Europeans and the indigenous population of Africa.

In 1878, the last of the rare zebras in the wild was killed.

And in 1883, a quagga died of natural causes in the Amsterdam Zoo.

At the moment, quaggas can also be seen, but only in photographs or in museums. One of the 4 surviving stuffed animals is in the Kazan Zoological Museum federal university, Russian Federation.

Restoring an unusual look

Of course, realizing that the species was exterminated irrevocably, scientists decided to create quaggas.

In 1987, it was launched by the best zoologists, breeders, veterinarians and geneticists.

In South Africa, zebras with the fewest stripes on the back of their bodies were selected. Thanks to these specimens, 9 individuals were created through selection, which were then placed in a special camp for further observations.

Reinhold Rau, project naturalist, and little Henry

The year 2005 is significant because the stallion Henry was born - the first animal of the third generation. The baby looked more like a quagga than the rest of the specimens, and even more than the exhibits in the museum.

The project's naturalist, Rau, had no doubts about the success of the restoration. Having seen the wonderful result with Henry, he was sure that the quagga would soon be settled in the territories protected areas South Africa.

But it is worth noting that although the bred individuals are similar to quagga zebras, they are still genetically created animals. At the moment they were given the name Quagga Rau.

We all understand perfectly well that restoring nature is much more difficult than destroying it. This process is long, expensive and difficult.

Scientists all over the world and simply caring people urge you to treat every living creature with more care, so that you don’t have to regret what you’ve done later.