W.A.L.T- Write a report on an extinct animal.
This week for literacy we learnt about endangered and extinct animals, I wrote about the Quagga. I think I did a good job of researching and writing about it and I hope to do something similar again.
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Quagga
The Quagga was a plains zebra that lived in South Africa until it became extinct in the late 19th century. It was led to believe that it was a distinct species, but early genetic studies showed that it was a subspecies of the plains zebra. It became extinct due to ‘ruthless’ hunting/poaching, some people even called it a ‘planned extermination’
The Quagga was mainly found living at south of the Orange River in grasslands and shrublands where they would thrive eating short grass, leaves, bark, roots and stem, therefore being grazers.
It was confirmed that quaggas were more like zebras than horses, with the quagga and mountain zebra sharing an ancestor 3-4 million years ago. Quaggas were 257cm long and 125-135cm tall at the shoulder. Its coat pattern was unique from other equids. It was more like a zebra in the front and like a horse in the rear. The Quaggas had brown and white stripes on the head and neck and a white belly, tail and legs. Stripes were boldest from the head and neck then gradually became fainter further down the body blending into a reddish brown. It also had a broad dark brown dorsal stripe on its back and a standing mane and tail with brown and white stripes.
Little is known about Quaggas behaviour, but it may have gathered into herds of 30-50. Quaggas have said to have lived widely and freely, yet considered to be more docile than Burchell's Zebra.
