I have just purchased a bunch of HiveWire Horse stuff off CWRW's Cloud Foudation Sale. The Promos looked really nice, so I went through all the posts in this thread. I am very pleased to note that Chris is doing a zebra based on the Plains Zebra. It would be nice to have all three zebra species as they are quite different, but if you are getting just one, then the Plains zebra would be an excellent choice, being the most variable in coat pattern within six different subspecies. Here are the three species of zebra:
1. Burchell's zebra,
Equus quagga burchellii (formerly known as
Equus burchellii burchellii, the earlier name
quagga has precendence over
burchellii under the International Naming Convention), the typical Plains zebra. And, yes, the quagga is a Plains zebra.
2. Mountain zebra,
Equus zebra. The Mountain zebra has a dewlap over its throat.
3. Grévy's zebra,
Equus grevyi. It is the largest of the three species and is quite different from the other two. It has a larger head that is long and narrow, larger ears, shorter and thicker neck and taller and a more erect mane. The stripes are narrow and close-set, being broader on the neck, and they extend to the hooves. It looks more like a mule than a horse.
This picture shows the variation in stripe pattern in the Burchell's zebra.
This is a badly taken photo from a book (my apologies) to show a variety of coat patterns in just two subspecies of the Plains zebra (the Maneless zebra,
Equus quagga borensis and the Quagga,
Equus quagga quagga) and the Pleistocene horse,
Equus ferus, from palaeolithic rock paintings in Dordogne.
I think you can appreciate the number of textures that can be made just for the Plains zebra from the above picture. It can also be the basis for making textures for the Przewalski’s horse.
Which brings me to the extinct Pleistocene horse shown above. The general consensus is that they resemble the Przewalski’s horse,
Equus ferus przewalskii, of modern Mongolia. Corroboratory evidence that Ice Age horses of some populations looked like this comes not only from living relatives but also from frozen carcasses, the most famous of which is the Selerikan horse, whose frozen carcass was discovered in a goldmine in the Siberian permafrost. It is or was a Przewalski’s type of horse.
I, therefore, think that the Przewalski's horse,
Equus ferus przewalskii, is a must have. It is the only truly wild horse left in the world. The Mustang of America and the Brumby of Australia are feral domesticated horses,
Equus ferus caballus.
The Przewalski's horse,
Equus ferus przewalskii.
I am also glad that Chris is also doing a donkey (a domesticated ass). A wild ass such as the African wild ass, a precursor of the donkey, would be a nice addition. There is really not much difference between the two. A wild ass has large ears compared to those of horses and zebras but not as large as those of a donkey. Having all three species of wild asses would be ideal as they are quite different from each other, but if there is going to be just one I would be happy with that. Here are the three species:
1a. African wild ass,
Equus africanus africanus. This is the Nubian wild ass, a precursor of the donkey. There is a stripe across the shoulder. No leg stripes.
1b. African wild ass,
Equus africanus somaliensis. This is the Somali wild ass. The legs are striped. No stripe across the shoulder. Otherwise no real difference.
2. Asiatic wild ass or Onager,
Equus hemionus. There are five subspecies. Onagers are short-legged compared to horses, and their coloring varies depending on the season, generally reddish-brown in color during the summer, becoming yellowish-brown or grayish-brown in the winter.
3. Kiang,
Equus kiang. The Kiang is the largest of the wild asses. Its ears are smaller than those of the other asses and the tail hair starts closer to the base of the dock, making it look more horse-like than the other asses.
Donkey (domesticated ass),
Equus africanus asinus. No leg stripes, bigger ears, stripe across the shoulder. Very similar to Nubian wild ass.
