Plains Zebra

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iPlains Zebra
Conservation status
Least Concern (LC)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Perissodactyla Family: Equidae Genus: Equus Subgenus: Hippotigris Species: E. quagga
Binomial name
Equus quagga Boddaert, 1785
Range map of Equus quagga. (Moelman, 2002) ██ historic range██ present range
subspecies
E. q. quagga E. q. burchellii E. q. boehmi E. q. borensis E. q. chapmani E. q. crawshayi

The Plains Zebra (Equus quagga, formerly Equus burchelli), also known as the Common Zebra or the Burchell's Zebra, is the most common and geographically widespread form of zebra, once being found on plains and grasslands from the south of Ethiopia right through east Africa as far south as Angola and eastern South Africa. The Plains Zebra is much less numerous than it once was, because of human activities such as hunting it for its meat and hide, as well as encroachment on much of its former habitat, but it remains common in game reserves.

The Plains Zebra is mid-sized and thick bodied with relatively short legs. Adults of both sexes stand about 1.4 metres high at the shoulder, are approximately 2.3 metres long, and weigh about 230 kg. Like all zebras, it is boldly striped in black and white and no two individuals look exactly alike. All have vertical stripes on the forepart of the body, which tend towards the horizontal on the hindquarters. The northern species have narrower and more defined striping; southern populations have varied but lesser amounts of striping on the underparts, the legs and the hindquarters. The first subspecies to be described, the Quagga which is now extinct, had plain brown hindquarters. (Technically, because the Quagga was described first as E. quagga, the proper zoological name for the most common form of the Plains Zebra is E. quagga burchelli.)

The Plains Zebra is highly social and usually forms small family groups consisting of a single stallion, one, two, or several mares, and their recent offspring. Groups are permanent, and group size tends to vary with habitat: in poor country the groups are small. From time to time, Plains Zebra families group together into large herds, both with one another and with other grazing species, notably Blue Wildebeests.

Unlike many of the large ungulates of Africa, the Plains Zebra prefers but does not require short grass to graze on. In consequence, it ranges more widely than many other species, even into woodland, and it is often the first grazing species to appear in a well-vegetated area. Only after zebras have cropped and trampled the long grasses do wildebeests and gazelles move in. Nevertheless, for protection from predators, the Plains Zebras retreats into open areas with good visibility at night time, and takes it in turns standing watch. It eats a wide range of different grasses, preferring young, fresh growth where available, and also browses on leaves and shoots from time to time.

[edit] Subspecies

In 2004, C.P. Groves and C.H, Bell did investigations on the taxonomy of the zebra's genus Equus, subgenus Hippotigris. They published their research in Mammalian Biology. They revised the subspecies of the Plains Zebra Equus quagga. Six subspecies are recognizable. The completely maneless Somali population may represent a seventh subspecies: Equus quagga isabella (Ziccardi, 1958). This subspecies may be valid, but at present there is no evidence that it is.

• Quagga, Equus quagga quagga Boddaert, 1785 †
• Burchell's Zebra, Equus quagga burchellii Gray, 1824
• Grant's Zebra, Equus quagga boehmi Matschie, 1892
• Selous' zebra, Equus quagga borensis Lönnberg, 1921
• Chapman's Zebra, Equus quagga chapmani Layard, 1865
• Crawshay's Zebra, Equus quagga crawshayi De Winton, 1896

[edit] References

• Duncan, P. (ed.). 1992. Zebras, Asses, and Horses: an Action Plan for the Conservation of Wild Equids. IUCN/SSC Equid Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.
• Groves, C.P. & Bell, H.B. 2004. New investigations on the taxonomy of the zebras genus Equus, subgenus Hippotigris. Mammalian Biology. 69: 182-196.
• Hack et al (2002). Equus burchellii. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 17 June 2006.
• Hack et al (2002). Equus quagga. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 10 May 2006. (Extinct subspecies of the Plains Zebra.)
• Higuchi et al. 1987. Mitochondrial DNA of the Extinct Quagga: Relatedness and Extent of Postmortem Change. Journal of Molecular Evolution 25:283-287.
• Moelman, P.D. 2002. Equids. Zebras, Assess and Horses. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. IUCN/SSC Equid Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. (http://www.iucn.org/themes/ssc/pubs/sscaps.htm#Equids2002)