Thursday, January 27, 2011

Zebra Subspecies

There are three extant (still living) species of zebras. Among those species, there are 8 subspecies, one of which is extinct.

Genus: Equus
-Subgenus: Hippotigris
-Plains Zebra, Equus quagga
-Quagga, Equus quagga quagga (extinct)
-Burchell's Zebra, Eguus quagga burchellii
-Grant's Zebra, Equus quagga boehmi
-Selous' Zebra, Equus quagga borensis
-Chapman's Zebra, Equus quagga chapmani
-Crawshay's Zebra, Equus quagga crawshayi
-Mountain Zebra, Equus zebra
-Cape Mountain Zebra, Equus zebra zebra
-Hartmann's Mountain Zebra, Equus zebra hartmannae
-Subgenus: Dolichohippus
-Grevy's Zebra, Equus grevyi

The plains zebra is the most common, and has about twelve subspecies distributed across much of southern and eastern Africa. Grevy's zebra is the rarest species, and is classified as endangered. Although zebra species may have overlapping ranges, they do not interbreed. In captivity, crosses between zebras and other equines have produced several distinct hybrids, including the zebroid, zeedonk, zony, and zorse.



1. What are the typical physical attributes of a zebra? What are the purposes of the stripes?
2. Classify the zebra for each of the following:
Kingdom:
Phylum:
Class:
Order:
Family:
Genus:
Subgenus:

2 comments:

  1. 1. Some physical attributes of a zebra include long legs, stripes, and usually weigh between 500 and 700 pounds. The zebra's stripes act as a camouflage, any colorblind predators get confused between the stripes and the blades of grass.
    2. Kingdom: Animalia
    Phylum: Chordata
    Class: Mammalia
    Order: Perissodactyla
    Family: Equidae
    Genus: Equus
    Subgenus: Hippotigris

    ReplyDelete
  2. 1. Relatively short legs, weigh around 500-700 pounds and males typically weigh more than females. Zebras are well known for their stripes, which are used as camouflage against predators that may be colorblind because the zebra will blend in with the tall grass.
    2.Kingdom: Animalia
    Phylum: Chordata
    Class: Mammalia
    Order: Perissodactyla
    Family: Equidae
    Genus: Equus
    Subgenus: Hippotigris

    ReplyDelete