The atzebra: an attempt to assign it taxonomically

Abstract

Until the sixteenth century, the existence of an equid, the atzebra, is documented in the Iberian Peninsula, but its taxonomic ascription is not clear. Based on the few existing documentary sources, the authors attempt its phenotypic reconstruction and taxonomical adscription. The description is eumetric, sublongilinial, chromatically blue dun, pangaré, constant presence of zebra marks, list and withers stripe, small hooves, short and erect cline, long limbs, and proportionally short ears, i. e. externally it seemed similar to the extinct Atlas wild donkey (Equus africanus atlanticus). Therefore, from a taxonomical view we place the atzebra as a subspecies of Equus africanus.