The maneless zebra (Equus quagga borensis) is a subspecies of the plains zebra spread over the northern parts of eastern Africa. It ranges in northwestern Kenya (from Uasin Gishu and Lake Baringo) to the Karamoja district of Uganda. It is also found in eastern South Sudan, east of the White Nile (for example, in Boma National Park). It is the northernmost subspecies of the plains zebra. The last remaining substantial population is in Kidepo Valley National Park.
| Maneless zebra | |
|---|---|
| |
| Maneless zebras at Kidepo Valley National Park in Uganda | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Perissodactyla |
| Family: | Equidae |
| Genus: | Equus |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | E. q. borensis
|
| Trinomial name | |
| Equus quagga borensis | |
Taxonomy
edit
The maneless zebra was first described in 1921 by the Swedish zoologist Einar Lönnberg.[2] He gave it the name Equus borensis based on a type specimen collected near the town of Bor in South Sudan. Later the maneless zebras have been described by several others. Also in 1954 by Tony Henley, then a ranger in the game department of the Protectorate of Uganda based in Moroto and in charge of Karamoja District.[3] Recently, the animals in the Kidepo Valley National Park have been studied by the Kidepo Wildlife Foundation.
In a research study conducted by J. Pluháček, L. Bartoš and J. Vichová, it was found that out of four plain zebra subspecies, the maneless zebra was the only subspecies that male infanticides were not found.
References
edit- ^ Taxon profile of Equus zebra borensis, falsely described as Selous' zebra
- ^ Lönnberg, Einar (1921). "Equus borensis". Fauna och Flora, Uppsala. 16: 175–181.
- ^ Zoological Society of London (1965). Transactions of the Zoological Society of London. London: Zoological Society of London by Academic Press.
Further reading
edit- Hack, M.A; Lorenzen, E (2011). "Equus quagga". Retrieved 2012-07-21.
- Groves, Colin; Peter Grubb (2011). Ungulate Taxonomy. JHU Press. ISBN 9781421403298.
- Kinloch, Bruce (1972). The shamba raiders : memories of a game warden (2 ed.). Hampshire: Ashford. ISBN 9781852530358.
- "Säugetierkundliche Mitteilungen". Säugetierkundliche Mitteilungen. 25: 228. 1977-01-21.
External links
edit- Image of running Equus quagga borensis among white-eared kob antelopes at Boma National Park, Sudan
- image of a maneless zebra at flickr
- Pluháček, Jan; Bartoš, L.; Vitchova, J. (2006). "Variation in Incidence of Male Infanticide within Subspecies of Plains Zebra (Equus Burchelli)". Journal of Mammalogy. 87 (1): 35–40. doi:10.1644/05-mamm-a-126r2.1. S2CID 84362182.