Guide to the great fame animals (Ungulata) in the Department of Zoology, British Museum (Natural History) : Illustrated by 53 text and other figures.

  • British Museum (Natural History). Department of Zoology.
Date:
1907
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Guide to the great fame animals (Ungulata) in the Department of Zoology, British Museum (Natural History) : Illustrated by 53 text and other figures. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    ZEBRAS. broader dorsal stripe, bordered with white; the colour varying from sandy to greyish. This species ranges from Baluchistan and N.W. India to Persia, Syria and Arabia. These Asses inhabit desert plains, or open tableland ; the Kiang dwelling at elevations of about 14,000 feet. They are generally found in herds of from twenty to forty, although occasionally in larger numbers. All are fleet, and traverse rough ground with speed. On the lowlands they feed on dry grasses, and in Tibet on small woody plants. In India and Persia they are difficult to approach, although this is not the case in Tibet. The Zebras Zebra (Equus grevyi, 1025, fig. 4), distinguished by its large and 38 & 39.] broad ears, which are very hairy inside, the narrow and more numerous stripes, with a peculiar arrangement of their own, the tall mane, extending on to the withers, and the thickly-haired tail. A second subgroup is represented by the Quagga (Equus quagga, 1017), now extinct, and BurchelFs Zebra (Equus burchelli), locally known as the Bonte-Quagga (1018). They have small narrow ears, broader stripes, which extend across the lower surface of the body, and smaller manes. In the Quagga, a South African species, the stripes are confined to the head and fore-part of the body. In the typical race of Burcheiks Zebra, now nearly extinct, but formerly abounding on the plains north of the Orange River, the lower part of the hind-quarters and both legs were devoid of stripes. Further north there are numerous races of this species, such as E. burchelli crawshayi (1019) in which the legs are more or less fully striped, while in E. burchelli granti (1020), of N.E. Africa, the striping extends to the hoofs. In that race the stripes are alternately black and white, instead of brown or buff, without the intervening ee shadow-stripes,” of the southern races. Lastly:> there is the True or Mountain Zebra (Equus zebra, 1024) of the Mountains of Cape Colony, represented in Angola by E. z. penricei. In this animal the ears are longer and the whole build is much more like that of the African Wild Asses, although the direction of the hair along the spine is reversed. The stripes do not extend across the under surface of the body; a distinctive Zebras and Quaggas, which are confined to Africa |~Lower south of the Sahara, are recognisable by being Mammal more or less fully striped. The largest is Grevy's bases'