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There has never been unanimous agreement between zoologists
regarding the Quagga’s relationship to other members
of the horse family. Some regarded the Quagga as a full
zebra species, while others treated it as the southern-most
subspecies of the widely distributed Plains Zebra (often
referred to as Burchell’s Zebra). While most scientists
accept the Quagga as belonging to the zebras, in 1980
one researcher did suggest that the Quagga was more closely
related to the horse than to the zebra.
It was thought that this question about the Quagga’s
relationship to other Equids, would probably never be
answered, as the Quagga had long since become extinct,
thus precluding the study of the living animal.
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Against
all expectations, the question of the taxonomic status of
the Quagga was answered in 1984. Three groups of scientists
from the University of California undertook molecular studies
on dried flesh and blood samples that had been removed from
Quagga skins during re-mounting by Reinhold Rau (Taxidermist,
South African Museum) of four old museum specimens in 1969/70
and 1980/81. The biochemists obtained protein and DNA fragments
from the samples. The DNA fragments were successfully cloned.
Both the protein and the DNA confirmed the status of the
Quagga as a subspecies of the Plains Zebra.
Latest (2005) Quagga DNA research results, based on small
tissue samples of 13 museum specimens, confirms the subspecies
status of the Quagga as obtained from tissue of one museum
Quagga specimen in 1984.
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