Facts about Quagga
The Quagga once was found in great numbers in South Africa in the former Cape Province (now known as the Cape of Good Hope Province) and the southern part of the Orange Free State.
The quagga once was considered a separate species, E. quagga and the plains zebra was classified as E. burchelli.
The only quagga to have ever been photographed alive was a mare at the Zoological Society of London's Zoo in Regent's Park in 1870.
The quagga was the first extinct animal to have its DNA studied and it was such genetic analysis that indicated the quagga was a subspecies of the plains zebra.
The quagga (Equus quagga quagga) is a member of the Equidae, a family of odd-toed ungulate mammals of horses and horse-like animals.
Okapi markings are nearly the reverse of the quagga, with the forequarters being mostly plain and the hindquarters being heavily striped.
The quagga was hunted to extinction for meat, hides, and to preserve feed for domesticated stock.
The name quagga comes from a Khoikhoi word for zebra and is onomatopoeic, being said to resemble the quagga's call.
The last wild quagga was probably shot in the late 1870s, and the last specimen in captivity, a mare, died on August 12, 1883, at the Artis Magistra zoo in Amsterdam.
The reasons for the demise of the quagga are attributed to anthropogenic factors: Over hunting and competition with domestic livestock.
The quagga was originally classified as an individual species, Equus quagga, in 1778.
The quagga was distinguished from other zebras by having the usual vivid black marks on the front part of the body only.