The photo above shows the quagga, a subspecies of the Plains zebra. This female quagga, formerly of the London Zoo in Regent’s Park, is the only one ever photographed alive.
But the quagga became officially extinct when the last one died in the Natura Artis Magistra Zoo in Amsterdam in 1883.
Above is a very cool painting of a male quagga that resided at The Royal College of Surgeons, believe it or not. Painted by Jacques-Laurent Agasse. I like it… especially the white tail.
This photo is a modern Plains zebra that is part of the project to breed back the quagga from Plains zebra stock. It’s a laudable effort, but really, the above zebra doesn’t look much like the real quagga to me…its neck stripes are reversed in color!
To learn more about the quagga and the attempt to bring it back, check out the video below:
Check out more about zebras here.
And you can go to The Quagga Project here.
