Scientists Revive Extinct Zebra Species

(Photo : Getty Images/Ian Walton) Quagga have been extinct for over a century.

The quagga -- a sub-species of South African zebra that has been extinct for more than 100 years -- has recently been revived by scientists.

The quagga can be distinguished from conventional zebras thanks to its distinctive lack of stripes on its hind legs, writes Nature World News.

The last known quagga died in a zoo in Amsterdam in 1883. Reinhold Rau from the University of Cape Town founded the Quagga Project in 1987 after becoming interested in trying to resurrect the species from extinction.

After researchers analyzed DNA belonging to an original quagga skin, they discovered that the extinct species was genetically identical to the zebra. The only real difference between the quagga and modern plains zebra (Equus Quagga) is their physical markings.

As well as missing the black and white stripes on their hind legs -- the coat of the quagga is somewhat different to the zebra -- turning a darker shade of brown near the rear of the animal.

The researchers searched for zebra with fewer black and white stripes on their hindquarters so that they could be selectively bred to produce offspring with markings like that of the quagga.

"It's an attempt to try and repair ecological damage that was done a long time ago in some sort of small way," Eric Harley, a retired professor of chemical pathology at the University of Cape Town, said in a statement. "It is also to try and get a representation back of a charismatic animal that used to live in South Africa."

After years of rebreeding the species, the researchers now believe that they have selectively bred animals with all the same characteristics as the extinct quagga.

"To all intents and purposes they are the quagga back again. The project has been a complete success," Harley added.

Hunting practices in the 19th century decimated quagga numbers. The Quagga Project was established as a way to return the native South African species to their environment after hunters drove them to near extinction.

In response to ethical concerns, Harley said: "We don't do genetic engineering, we aren't cloning, we aren't doing any particularly clever sort of embryo transfers -- it is a very simple project of selective breeding."

The researchers have named the new animal Rau-quagga to appease critics and to differentiate the animal from the extinct quagga. The team hopes that the project will eventually lead to a substantial herd of Rau-quagga that will be released into the wild in their native habitat in South Africa.