Differences between the species

Zebra Species

This list is courtesy of Wikipedia and as you can see, there are a number of variations within the species.

Genus: Equus

·             Subgenus:  Hippotigris 

o     Plains Zebra, Equus quagga

§  Quagga , Equus quagga quagga (extinct)

§  Burchell's Zebra, Equus quagga burchellii (extinct)

§  Grant's Zebra, Equus quagga boehmi

§  Selous' Zebra, Equus quagga borensis

§  Chapman's Zebra, Equus quagga chapmani

§  Crawshay's Zebra, Equus quagga crawshayi

o     Mountain Zebra, Equus zebra

§  Cape Mountain Zebra, Equus zebra zebra

§  Hartmann's Mountain Zebra, Equus zebra hartmannae

·            Subgenus:  Dolichohippus

o     Grevy's Zebra, Equus grevyi

Plain's Zebra
(Equus quagga - formerly Equus burchelli)

Plain's zebras are boldly striped with vertical stripes on the forepart of the body, which travel towards the horizontal stripes on their hindquarters. They were once found on plains and grasslands from the south of Ethiopia right through east Africa as far south as Angola and eastern South Africa.

Quagga
(Equus quaga quagga)

Extinct since 19th century. Last one died in 1883 in the Amsterdam Zoo.

Quagga's coat was sandy brown with pale legs and tail. Its vivid stripes were only on the front part of the body on its head, neck and shoulders (and usually a dark brown). Stripes faded in the mid section and the dark, inter-stripe spaces became wider leaving the hindquarters plain brown.

The Quagga zebra is an extinct subspecies of the Plains zebra, which was once found in great numbers in South Africa's Cape Province and the southern part of the Orange Free State. The name comes from a Khoikhoi word (an historical division of the Khoisan ethnic group of southwestern Africa) for zebra and is onomatopoeic, being said to resemble the quagga's call.

Burchell's Zebra
(Equus quagga burchellii - includes Damara Zebra)

Burchell's zebras were the lightest-colored of all zebras, with completely white legs and no stripes on their stomachs. Its basic body color was reddish-yellow.

They existed from southern Botswana into the Orange Free State of South Africa. As European settlement spread northward from the Cape to colonial Southern Rhodesia, this subspecies was hunted to extinction. Extinct in the wild since 1910. Last known individual died in the Berlin Zoo in 1918.

According to Wikipedia, Burchell's zebras are not extinct except in a small section of Africa. And I quote:

"Formerly the Burchell's zebra ranged north of the Vaal/Orange river system, extending northwest via southern Botswana to Etosha and the Kaokoveld, southeast to Swaziland and Kwazulu-Natal. Now extinct in the middle portion, but surviving at the northwestern and southeastern end of the distribution.

Like other plain zebras, Burchell's Zebras must have populated the African plains in impressive numbers. Associations of thousands have been reported. The wild herds were thought to have disappeared by 1910, and the last known captive individual died in the Berlin Zoo in 1918. As European settlement spread northward from the Cape to colonial Southern Rhodesia, this subspecies was thought to have been hunted to extinction.

However, Groves and Bell concluded in their 2004 publication that "the extinct true Burchell's zebra" is a phantom. Careful study of the original zebra populations in Zululand and Swaziland, and of skins harvested on game farms in Zululand and Natal, has revealed that a small certain proportion shows similarity to what now is regarded as typical "burchellii". The type localities of the subspecies Equus quagga burchellii and Equus quagga antiquorum (Damara Zebra) are so close to each other that the two are in fact one, and that therefore the older of the two names should take precedence over the younger. They therefore say that the correct name for the southernmost subspecies must be burchellii not antiquorum. The subspecies Equus quagga burchellii still exists in Kwazulu-Natal and in Etosha."

Grant's Zebra
(Equus quagga boehmi)

Grant's zebras have very wide and dark stripes on the rump and their legs are striped to the hooves. This subspecies is the zebra most frequently seen in zoos and circuses around the world. In the wild its distribution extends from southern Sudan through East Africa south to the Zambesi River.

Selous' Zebra
(Equus quagga borensis)

Selous' zebras look a lot like Damaraland zebras, but the 'shadow' stripes are usually very faint. Unlike Damaraland zebras, their legs are striped to the hooves.

Chapman's Zebra
(Equus quagga chapmani)

Damaraland zebras are easily identified by the brown 'shadow' stripes between the black-and-white stripes on their coats. Usually the stripes on the legs do not run all the way to the hooves. It is a subspecies of plains zebra occurring from Southern Ethiopia to Angola, Namibia and eastern South Africa.

Damara Zebra
(Equus burchelli antiquorum)

The Damara zebra is a subspecies of plains zebra occurring from Southern Ethiopia to Angola, Namibia and eastern South Africa. It is characterized by a pattern of broad, dark stripes alternating with thin, light shadow-stripes. The stripes fade into the brownish color of the body on the hindquarters and are absent altogether on the legs.

Crawshay's Zebra
(Equus quagga crawshayi)

There is very limited information available about this species. It is only found in the north-eastern part of Zambia and nowhere else.

Mountain Zebra
(Equus zebra)

Aptly named, the Mountain zebra is a good climber on steep, rugged terrain and has evolved exceptionally hard and pointed hooves compared to other equines. Mountain zebra heads are relatively short and striped with a dark muzzle. They have manes of short hair that stand upright from their necks. The stripes on their bodies continue up to their manes. Mountain zebras also have a tuft of hair at the end of their tails.

Mountain zebras are agile climbers and live in dry, stony, mountainous and hilly habitats. They prefer slopes and plateaus and can be found as high as 2,000 metres above sea level, although they do migrate lower in the winter season.

Cape Mountain Zebra
(Equus zebra zebra)

The black stripes of the Cape Mountain zebra are wide with much thinner white interspaces. The Cape Mountain zebra is the smallest zebra and stands around 47 inches high. It's stripes are broad, with a pure white body underneath. It has a stockier frame, longer ears and larger dewlap than the other Mountain zebras (which incidently is best developed on the male).

Hartmann's Mountain Zebra
(Equus zebra hartmannae)

The black stripes of Hartmann's Mountain zebra are thin with much wider white interspaces. Hartmann's have broad black stripes with an off-white, creamy color between them. The black stripes on the animal's sides do not meet on the belly. The leg stripes extend horizontally, all the way down to the top of the hooves. These leg stripes can be thin and wrap around the entire leg. The stripe that covers the spine and top portion of the tail is said to be "zipper-like" in appearance. The most characteristic and interesting feature of both Mountain zebra subspecies is a square flap of skin on the throat just below the head referred to as a dewlap.

Grevy's Zebra
(Equus grevyi)

The Grevy's zebra is also called the 'Imperial Zebra'.

The Grevy's zebra is tall compared to the other zebra species and also differs from the other species with it's primitive characteristics and different behaviour. They have large, rounded ears and very narrow stripes that form a whorl on the rump and extend to the hooves. The Grevy's zebra's black and white stripes are set extremely close together. Because the stripes are closer together and thinner than most of the other zebras, it is easier to make a good escape and to hide from predators. Those stripes on the hindquarters remain vertical until above the hind legs (rather than being primarily horizontal as in other zebra species), at which point an interesting triangular interface is created. A wide black line passes down the spine, separated from the striping on the sides by white bands, while the white belly coloration extends part way up the sides. Fine horizontal striping extends all the way down the legs to the hooves. Their ears are very large, rounded and conical with rounded tips, and wide black and white striping on their backs. Their heads are large, long and narrow and mule-like in appearance with a grey to tan muzzle surrounded by a 'halo' of white. A tall mane of erect hair on the nape of the neck is striped continuously with the body.

The Grevy's zebra is the largest species of zebra and is occupies arid areas in Ethiopia (to the north-east of Lake Turkana , in the Ogaden and Awash Valleys) and Kenya. In certain regions of Kenya, the plains zebras and Grevy's zebras coexist (live together). The Grevy's zebra was the first zebra to emerge as a species.

Sources:
Wild About You
Encarta MSN
Wikipedia