Which Animal Went Extinct Twice? The Story of the Quagga
Discover how the Quagga, a subspecies of zebra, went extinct twice and the project aimed at bringing it back through selective breeding.
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The Quagga, a subspecies of plains zebra found in South Africa, went extinct in the wild in the late 19th century. It was declared extinct in 1883. Remarkably, the Quagga Project, an attempt to bring them back through selective breeding of plains zebra, has led to animals that resemble the Quagga, marking this as a rare case of an animal 'going extinct' twice – once in its original form and again in terms of its pure genetic lineage being irrecoverable.
FAQs & Answers
- What animal went extinct twice? The Quagga, a subspecies of the plains zebra from South Africa, went extinct in the wild in the late 19th century and again in terms of its pure genetic lineage, marking it as an animal that went extinct twice.
- What is the Quagga Project? The Quagga Project is a conservation initiative aimed at restoring the Quagga's appearance by selectively breeding plains zebras to recreate an animal that resembles the original Quagga.
- Why is the Quagga considered extinct twice? The Quagga is considered extinct twice because, although animals resembling it have been bred, the original genetic lineage of the pure Quagga subspecies is irrecoverable.