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The quagga ( or )〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVDncjzpNJI )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/quagga )〕 (''Equus quagga quagga'') is an extinct subspecies of plains zebra that lived in South Africa until the 19th century. It was long thought to be a distinct species, but genetic studies have shown it to be the southernmost subspecies of plains zebra. It is considered particularly close to Burchell's zebra. Its name is derived from its call, which sounds like "kwa-ha-ha". The quagga is believed to have been around long and tall at the shoulder. It was distinguished from other zebras 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 therefore 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 individuals. Quaggas were said to be wild and lively, yet were also considered more docile than 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 Dutch settlement of South Africa began, the quagga was heavily hunted as it competed with domesticated animals for forage. While some individuals were taken to zoos in Europe, breeding programs were unsuccessful. The last wild population lived in the Orange Free State, and the quagga was extinct in the wild by 1878. The last captive specimen died in Amsterdam on 12 August 1883. Only one quagga was ever photographed alive and only 23 skins are preserved today. In 1984, the quagga was the first extinct animal to have its DNA analysed, and the Quagga Project is trying to recreate the phenotype of hair coat pattern and related characteristics by selectively breeding Burchell's zebras. ==Taxonomy== The name "quagga" is derived from the Khoikhoi word for ''zebra'' and is onomatopoeic, being said to resemble the quagga's call, variously transcribed as "kwa-ha-ha", "kwahaah",〔 or "oug-ga".〔 The name is still used colloquially for the plains zebra.〔 The quagga was originally classified as a distinct species, ''Equus quagga'', in 1778 by Dutch naturalist Pieter Boddaert. Traditionally, the quagga and the other plains and mountain zebras were placed in the subgenus ''Hippotigris''.〔 There has been much debate over the status of the quagga in relation to the plains zebra. It is poorly represented in the fossil record, and the identification of these fossils is uncertain, as they were collected at a time when the name quagga referred to all zebras.〔 Fossil skulls of ''Equus mauritanicus'' from Algeria have been claimed to show affinities with the quagga and the plains zebra, but they may be too badly damaged to allow definite conclusions to be drawn from them. Quaggas have also been identified in cave art attributed to the San. Reginald Innes Pocock was perhaps the first to suggest that the quagga was a subspecies of plains zebra in 1902. As the quagga was scientifically described and named before the plains zebra, the trinomial name for the quagga becomes ''E. quagga quagga'' under this scheme, and the other subspecies of plains zebra are placed under ''E. quagga'' as well.〔 Historically, quagga taxonomy was further complicated by the fact that the extinct southernmost population of Burchell's zebra (''Equus quagga burchellii'', formerly ''Equus burchellii burchellii'') was thought to be a distinct subspecies (also sometimes thought a full species, ''E. burchellii''). The extant northern population, the "Damara zebra", was later named ''Equus quagga antiquorum'', which means that it is today also referred to as ''E. q. burchellii'', after it was realised they were the same taxon. The extinct population was long thought very close to the quagga, since it also showed limited striping on its hind parts.〔 As an example of this, Shortridge placed the two in the now disused subgenus ''Quagga'' in 1934. Most experts now suggest that the two subspecies represent two ends of a cline.〔 Different subspecies of plains zebra were recognised as members of ''Equus quagga'' by early researchers, though there was much confusion over which species were valid. Quagga subspecies were described on the basis of differences in striping patterns, but these differences were since attributed to individual variation within the same populations.〔 Some subspecies and even species, such as ''E. q. danielli'' and ''Hippotigris isabellinus'', were only based on illustrations (iconotypes) of aberrant quagga specimens. Some authors have described the quagga as a kind of wild horse rather than a zebra, and one craniometric study from 1980 seemed to confirm its affiliation with the horse (''Equus caballus'').〔 It has been pointed out that early morphological studies were erroneous; using skeletons from stuffed specimens can be problematical, as early taxidermists sometimes used donkey and horse skulls inside their mounts when the originals were unavailable.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「quagga」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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