Do the stripes of the zebra serve as a mosquito repellent? Or are they just showing off? Anyway, at least the breeders who have revived the quaggas, zebras with almost no stripes, can splurge after 130 years.
Why do zebras have stripes? There are no fewer than 18 scientific theories that talk about camouflage, thermoregulation, disco effects, showing off and social functions. The stripes are probably primarily a natural protection against mosquitoes: According to one, the pajama-like coat color structure is frightening Japanese study Brake and fly off. As a test, the scientists painted black cows with white zebra stripes.
Some zebras have more stripes, some less. The quagga was a subspecies of the plains zebra, it looked like a zebra doing a striptease. The animals were only striped on the head and neck. Quaggas were still roaming southern Africa in the 19th century. Cattle farmers and hunters from Europe shot down all quaggas because they were seen as competition for feeding on the pastures. In August 1883 the last animal died in Amsterdam Zoo. Since then, the quagga has been considered extinct – which is a pity not only because of its cool name and the chic camouflage look. It’s another example of how idiotic, egomaniacal and short-sighted people are in nature.
But now the quagga is celebrating a quamback. Since 1987, biologists in South Africa have been crossing zebras with a suitable gene pool, their goal is to breed back the stripeless quaggas. “We now have a total stock of 200 animals,” says March Turnbull from quagga project from the University of Stellenbosch. The animals are named Rau-Quagga after the German zoologist Reinhold Rau, who is considered the spiritual father of the project. Very nice, let’s have a slumber party!
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