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Scientists Bringing Zebra Cousin Back From Extinction
科學家挽救斑馬同類物種
A group of scientists just outside Cape Town, South Africa are trying to bring a zebra species back from extinction through selective breeding. By studying DNA samples, scientists recently confirmed that the quagga, which went extinct in the late 1800s, was a sub-species of the plains zebra. Compared to the plains zebra, the quagga had fewer stripes on the lower half of its body. It also had a dark brown background. Through five generations of selective breeding, a handful of plains zebras now look similar to the extinct sub-species. The most quagga-like of these zebras will be placed on a separate reserve for further breeding. Critics of the project say that the scientists have merely changed the look of the animal, and have not taken into account any behavioural differences or ecological adaptations. The animals in this study have been named Rau Quagga, after Reinhold Rau, one of the scientists.
在南非開普敦外，科學家正在通過“選擇性繁殖”挽救滅絕物種。近日經科學家證實，通過DNA檢測，19世紀末滅絕的白氏斑馬為平原斑馬的亞種。通過與平原斑馬相比較，白氏斑馬的下半身少了幾條條紋。尾部呈深棕色。通過對五代平原斑馬的“選擇性繁殖”，如今的平原斑馬與滅絕亞種類似。而與白氏斑馬最相近的斑馬將安放在保護區進行繁殖。但有批評人士指出，他們幾乎改變了動物原貌，且沒有考慮行為差別或生態適應性。新物種以該研究科學家萊因霍爾德·拉烏的名字命名，并稱之為“Rau Quagga”。
譯文屬可可英語原創，未經允許，不得轉載。
