| This is the Grevy zebra stallion that the US Dept. of Agriculture bred to both horses and asses to produce those hybrids which wound up on Sells Floto. This animal was walked 150 miles from the Abyssinian capital city of Addis Ababa to the sea (likely the port of Djibouti) where it boarded a ship and eventually came to America. Save for the time it was loaned to the Agriculture Department for the breeding experiment, it lived at the National zoo from 1904 to 1919. |
Monday, June 09, 2008
GrvyZebraMann (From Richard Reynolds)
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9 comments:
Richard, why the Grevy? For size? I remember hearing that for genetic reasons zebra/horse, zebra/donkey crosses have been more successfult than crosses between Grevys and Plains or Mountain zebra forms. But I was also under the impression that the highest success rates in Zedonks have used Plains stallions -- probably Grants or Chapmans. Seemed a bit odd to me since Grevy has 46 chromosomes, Plains has 44, while Mountain has 32, as do horses. Donkeys have 62. Zorse cross would between horse and Mountain would seem to make most sense.
Ben - - -
My guess is that the Grevy stallion was simply available with the National zoo being a part of Smithsonian which is part of the US Gov. like the Agriculture Dept.
This was the very first Grevy at National zoo. I do not think they were at all common in captivity back at the beginning of the 20th century. It was unknown to the scientific world until 1882 when an example was given by the Abyssinians to French President Jules Grevy from whom the beast takes its name. London zoo got its first ones in 1899 and the stallion in Washington arrived only 5 years after that.
I certainly am no taxonomist but I have seen it writ that in certain behavioral characteristics Grevy’s are more akin to asses than to other zebras. Also I think it fair to say that in the early 20th century the genetic and chromosomal makeup of the wild equids was largely unknown.
One thing is for sure, a Grevy stallion can be a vicious and dangerous animal
"Taxonomist?"......I think I'll have John Goodall look that up.
I think taxonomist is one of those guys who figure your taxes.
Was the Grevy's zebra stallion named after National Zoo director William Mann? When the French president recieved the Grevy's zebra as a gift they realized it was a brand new species unknown to science. The Grevy's zebra occupies the same range as other zebras, but they never cross breed in the wild.
I would'nt trust a taxonomist to do your taxes.
I take that back. He could'nt do a worse job than the guy I used to pay.
I'll bet that a taxonomist is the driver of the carriage that the mule kicks apart.
No, the Grevy zebra was not named for long time National zoo director, William M. Mann.
Mann was at Staunton Military Academy (a military high school) when the zebra arrived at the zoo in 1904. The reference to Mann is simply to the source of the photo.
Mann became zoo director in 1925. As you may know he was also a big circus fan.
As an aside, "taxonomy" is the science of naming and classifying different organisms (animals). I guess it could apply to taxes for we must classify our income and expenses et al.
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