The maneless zebra (''Equus quagga borensis'') is a subspecies of the
plains zebra
The plains zebra (''Equus quagga'', formerly ''Equus burchellii'') is the most common and geographically widespread species of zebra. Its range is fragmented, but spans much of southern and eastern Africa south of the Sahara. Six or seven subspec ...
spread over the northern parts of eastern
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
. It ranges in northwestern
Kenya
Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
(from
Uasin Gishu and
Lake Baringo
Lake Baringo is, after Lake Turkana, the most northern of the Kenyan Rift Valley lakes, with a surface area of and an elevation of . The lake is fed by several rivers: the Molo River, Molo, Perkerra River, Perkerra and Ol Arabel. It has no obvio ...
) to the
Karamoja district of
Uganda
Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...
. It is also found in eastern
South Sudan
South Sudan (), officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the north by Sudan; on the east by Ethiopia; on the south by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Kenya; and on the ...
, 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.
Taxonomy
The maneless zebra was first described in 1921 by the Swedish zoologist
Einar Lönnberg
Axel Johann Einar Lönnberg (24 December 1865 – 21 November 1942) was a Swedish zoologist and conservationist. Lönnberg was born in Stockholm. He was head of the Vertebrate Department of the '' Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet'' (Swedish Natural ...
. He gave it the name ''Equus borensis'' based on a type specimen collected near the town of
Bor in
South Sudan
South Sudan (), officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the north by Sudan; on the east by Ethiopia; on the south by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Kenya; and on the ...
. 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.
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
Further reading
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External links
Image of running Equus quagga borensis among white-eared kob antelopes at Boma National Park, Sudanimage of a maneless zebra at flickr
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{{Taxonbar, from=Q3751810
Equus (genus)
Mammals of Kenya
Mammals of South Sudan
Mammals of Uganda
Zebras