Quaggas

The quagga (Equus quagga quagga) was a subspecies of the plains zebra that inhabited the open grasslands and scrublands of the Cape region and Karoo in southern Africa. It formed social herds and grazed on grasses, with seasonal movements tied to forage availability. By the late 19th century, human activities and landscape change contributed to its rapid decline.

Physically, the quagga was distinct from other zebras in its coat pattern. It had dense stripes on the head, neck, and forequarters, while the rest of the body was a uniform brown or tawny color. The stripes were less extensive on the hindquarters, giving the animal a more muted overall appearance compared with fully striped zebras.

Habitat and behavior mirrored those of other plains zebras in many respects. Quaggas thrived on relatively open grasslands and were primarily grazers. They lived in social groups and showed typical herd dynamics, including seasonal movements in response to rainfall and forage.

Extinction occurred in the wild during the 19th century due to overhunting for skins, competition with livestock, and loss of suitable habitat. The last known quagga died in captivity in 1883 at the Artis zoo in Amsterdam. The subspecies is commonly cited as extinct in the wild and entirely extinct in nature.

Legacy and revival efforts focus on morphological and genetic reconstruction rather than true restoration. Museum specimens provided historical reference, and in 1987 the Quagga Project began in South Africa to selectively breed plains zebras to resemble the quagga’s coloration. While this approach has produced animals that resemble quaggas, they are not genetically the same as the historic quagga. The project illustrates how phenotype can be approximated where exact genetic restoration is not possible.