quagga

/'kwægə/

Thân thiện

A quagga grazes on the grassy plains.

Definition

Noun: 1. An extinct South African mammal: The quagga was a mammal native to South Africa. It was a subspecies of the plains zebra, characterized by having stripes only on the front part of its body, while its rear was a solid brown color. It became extinct in the late 19th century due to excessive hunting.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The quagga is one of the most famous examples of an animal driven to extinction by humans.
  • Scientists are studying DNA from preserved quagga skins to learn more about its genetics.
  • Unlike a fully striped zebra, the quagga had a unique brown-and-white pattern.

Advanced Usage

• "Quagga mussel": This is a separate, modern term for an invasive species of freshwater mussel. It is named after the quagga due to its striped shell pattern, but it is not related to the mammal.
  • The spread of the quagga mussel is causing serious problems for North American waterways.

Variants and Related Words

• Quaggas (n): The standard plural form of "quagga."
  • The last known quaggas died in captivity in the 1880s.

Synonyms

• Extinct zebra: A descriptive synonym highlighting its relation and status.
• Equus quagga quagga: The formal scientific name for the subspecies.

Related Idioms or Phrases

• (As) extinct as the quagga: Used as a simile to emphasize that something has completely vanished or is no longer in existence.
  • That old manufacturing technique is as extinct as the quagga.

Học thuật

Noun

1. mammal of South Africa that resembled a zebra; extinct since late 19th century

Từ đồng nghĩa

• equus quagga