Editing Quagga (section)

{{Short description|Extinct subspecies of plains zebra from South Africa and Namibia}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Featured article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{subspeciesbox
| fossil_range = [[Calabrian (stage)]] to [[Holocene]]
| status = EX
| extinct = August 12, 1883
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref>{{Cite iucn |author=Hack, M.A. |author2=East, R. |author3=Rubenstein, D.I. |date=2008 |title=''Equus quagga'' ssp. ''quagga'' |volume=2008 |page=e.T7957A12876306 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T7957A12876306.en |access-date=13 November 2021}}</ref>
| image = Quagga_photo.jpg
| image_caption = A quagga [[mare]] at the [[London Zoo]] in 1870; this is the only specimen photographed alive
| genus = Equus
| species = quagga
| species_link = Plains zebra
| subspecies = quagga
| authority = ([[Boddaert]], 1785)
| range_map= Quagga range.png
| range_map_caption= Former range in red
| synonyms = {{Collapsible list|bullets = true|title=<small>List</small>
|''Hippotigris quagga'' <small>Hamilton Smith, 1841</small>
|''Hippotigris isabellinus'' <small>Hamilton Smith, 1841</small>
|''E. q. isabellinus'' <small>Hamilton Smith, 1841</small>
|''E. q. lorenzi'' <small>Lydekker, 1902</small>
|''E. q. greyi'' <small>Lydekker, 1904</small>
|''E. q. danielli'' <small>Pocock, 1904</small>
|''E. q. trouessarti'' <small>Camerano, 1908</small>
|''E.'' (''Quagga'') ''quagga quagga'' <small>Shortridge, 1934</small>
}}
}}

The '''quagga''' ({{IPAc-en|'|k|w|ɑː||x|ɑː}} or {{IPAc-en|'|k|w|æ|g|ə}})<ref name=Max>{{Cite news|last=Max|first=D. T.|title=Can You Revive an Extinct Animal?|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/01/magazine/01taxidermy.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0|access-date=3 March 2014|newspaper=The New York Times|date=1 January 2006}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Oxford Dictionaries|url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/quagga|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120818051343/http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/quagga|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 August 2012|publisher=Oxford University Press|access-date=13 August 2014}}</ref> ('''''Equus quagga quagga''''') is an extinct [[subspecies]] of the [[plains zebra]] that was [[endemic]] to [[South Africa]] until it was hunted to [[extinction]] in the late 19th&nbsp;century. It was long thought to be a distinct species, but [[Mitochondrial DNA|mtDNA]] studies have supported it being a subspecies of plains zebra. A more recent study suggested that it was the southernmost [[Cline (biology)|cline]] or [[ecotype]] of the species.

The quagga is believed to have been around {{convert|257|cm|ftin|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|125|–|135|cm|ftin|abbr=on}} tall at the shoulders. It was distinguished from other [[zebra]]s 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 [[History of South Africa (1652–1815)|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&nbsp;August 1883. Only one quagga was ever photographed alive, and only 23 skins exist today. In 1984, the quagga was the first extinct animal whose [[DNA]] was analysed. The [[Quagga Project]] has attempted to breed Burchell's zebras with similar striping patterns to the quagga.