Burchell’s zebra (Equus quagga burchellii formerly Equus burchelli) is a southern subspecies of the Plains zebra. It is named after the British explorer and naturalist William John Burchell.
As European settlement spread northward from the Cape to colonial southern Rhodesia, this subspecies was thought to have been hunted to extinction. However, the type localities of the two subspecies Equus quagga burchellii (Burchell’s zebra) and Equus quagga antiquorum (Damaraland zebra) are so close to each other that they suggest that the two are in fact one, and therefore the older of the two names takes precedence over the younger. Therefore the correct name for the southernmost subspecies is referred to as burchellii, not antiquorum.
Postcards
1969 – Big Game Photography (Pvt.) Ltd. (Z1 Series – Type II)
