Selous' zebra (''Equus quagga selousi'') 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 ...
distributed across southeastern
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 is found mostly in
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...
(investigation was conducted by Shedrack Barnaba).
Taxonomy
This subspecies is similar to the
Burchell's zebra
Burchell's zebra (''Equus quagga burchellii'') is a southern subspecies of the plains zebra. It is named after the British explorer and naturalist William John Burchell. Common names include bontequagga, Damaraland zebra, and Zululand zebra (Gray ...
, but it can be distinguished by its legs, which are striped to the hooves.
Description
These subspecies have clean black-and-white banding without the brown shadow stripes of the
Chapman's zebra
Chapman's zebra (''Equus quagga chapmani''), named after explorer James Chapman (explorer), James Chapman, is a subspecies of the plains zebra from southern Africa.
Chapman's zebra are native to savannas and similar habitats of north-east South ...
subspecies. These are extended down the flanks and over the whole body except face and neck. The upper half is covered with horizontal stripes, mostly faded, that do not go around the legs. The belly is partly striped. Their average mass is , and the average shoulder height is 59 inches. Their track measures x .
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5490348
Mammals of Mozambique
Zebras
Controversial mammal taxa