Talk:Zebra/GA1

GA Review

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Reviewer: Dunkleosteus77 (talk · contribs) 00:10, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

Dunkleosteus77

• It's strange that you say "The Encarta Dictionary says" but then you don't cite the Encarta Dictionary   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  00:10, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

Removed. LittleJerry (talk) 00:36, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

• ref 5 just says "zebra" and nothing else   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  00:10, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

Fixed. LittleJerry (talk) 00:36, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

• "from Italian zebra, perhaps from Portuguese" so did it enter English from Italian or Portuguese?   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  00:10, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

Clarified. LittleJerry (talk) 00:43, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

"The name "zebra" in English dates back to c. 1600, from Italian zebra, perhaps through Portuguese." So are you trying to say it entered English from Italian and it entered Italian through Portuguese (Portuguese→Italian→English), or it entered English through Portuguese and entered Portuguese through Italian (Italian→Portuguese→English)?

The source says "c. 1600, from Italian zebra, perhaps via Portuguese," LittleJerry (talk) 21:53, 24 June 2020 (UTC)

The source is saying there're 2 different theories: either it's a portmanteau of Latin equus+ferus ("wild horse"), or it comes from the Congolese or Amharic word which entered Portuguese (which would make sense considering Portugal occupied almost the entire African coastline) which entered Italian. In either case, the word entered English through Italian around the year 1600   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  22:48, 24 June 2020 (UTC)

Fixed. Apparently, it coming from Congolese is wrong. [1]

Are you sure there's a large agreement that it does not come from Congolese? Also if it didn't come from Congolese, then it didn't enter Italian via Portuguese, it would've already existed from Latin   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  03:07, 25 June 2020 (UTC)

I don't have access to the current version of OED so I can't confirm. Uanfala says it is. Also the word would not have already existed in Latin but came from the Latin word "equiferus" entered Portuguese as zebra and then Italian. LittleJerry (talk) 11:42, 25 June 2020 (UTC)

Italian is a Latin based language. If it already existed in Latin, then it would have existed in Italian without Portuguese influence. Your current source says "c. 1600, from Italian zebra, perhaps via Portuguese, earlier applied to a now-extinct wild ass, of uncertain origin, said to be Congolese [OED], or Amharic [Klein], but perhaps ultimately from Latin equiferus "wild horse," from equus "horse" (see equine) + ferus (see fierce)". Notice it uses the word "perhaps" to separate the 2 competing theories. OED denotes that the Oxford English Dictionary hypothesizes it came from Congolese, and Klein that the Klein Dictionary hypothesizes Amharic [2]. I don't really see a consensus opinion preferring one theory over the other, so could Uanfala perhaps copy/paste the entry for zebra here to verify?   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  14:33, 25 June 2020 (UTC)

Fixed. Cite #3 also states that the African origin is a myth. LittleJerry (talk) 14:49, 25 June 2020 (UTC)

The current online edition (OED Third Edition, June 2018) gives the following etymology:

Of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from Italian. Partly a borrowing from Portuguese. Etymons: Italian zebra; Portuguese zebra, zevra.
Etymology: < (i) Italian zebra (1591 in the passage translated in quot. 1597), and its etymon (ii) Portuguese zebra, zevra (1578 in the work ultimately underlying quot. 1653), apparently a transferred use of zevra, zevro kind of feral horse of the Iberian peninsula (12th cent.; compare note) < an unattested post-classical Latin form *eciferus < classical Latin equiferus wild or feral horse (Pliny) < equus horse (see hippo- comb. form) + ferus wild (see feral adj.1).

I hope this should clarify how an Italian word whose ultimate etymology is in Latin could have been borrowed from Portuguese. The OED gives some further details on e.g. the Spanish cognates, and the feral horse itself (such as the fact that it was apparently striped). Then it goes on to mention the proposed African etymology:

The word was formerly sometimes believed to be < an African language, probably based on early reports of the name being used by the inhabitants of the Kongo region (e.g. H. Ludolf 1681, in the passage paraphrased in quot. 1682); however, this is more likely to refer to the language of the Portuguese settlers in the region.

If any more details are needed, let me know. – Uanfala (talk) 15:45, 25 June 2020 (UTC)

• "recent (2013) phylogenetic evidence" it's best not to use recent because that's a pretty relative term. You could also say "A 2013 phylogenetic study" or "A 2013 study looking at phylogenetics", or maybe "DNA analysis" would be sufficient   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  00:10, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

Fixed. LittleJerry (talk) 00:36, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

• The Taxonomy and evolution section doesn't go in chronological order   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  00:10, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

I don't understand. LittleJerry (talk) 00:36, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

You start with a 2013 study, then go back to 2004, then say the quagga used to be a separate species (without mentioning when it was first described as such and when it was changed and what it is now). I think you should also put a paragraph on research history on which species were described when and why they were named as such (where did "quagga" come from? Who's Grevy and why does he have a zebra named after him?)   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  16:55, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

That information is not important for this article but for the articles on the individual species. Fixed the dates. LittleJerry (talk) 17:53, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

• "zebra front limbs are longer than the back limbs" is there a reason for this?   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  00:10, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

Not mentioned. LittleJerry (talk) 00:36, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

• There are image stacking problems. The Stripes section could do without File:Grevy's zebra stripes.jpg and File:Zebra (8137989014).jpg   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  00:10, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

Fixed. LittleJerry (talk) 00:36, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

• The Characteristics section should include how the different species are different from each other anatomically. File:Zebra species (ENG).png makes it look like they're very obviously different   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  00:10, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

A description of each is given in the species boxes in the Taxonomy section. LittleJerry (talk) 00:36, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

• "All three zebras" you can just say "zebras"   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  00:10, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

Done. LittleJerry (talk) 00:36, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

• You should include the year each stripes hypothesis was proposed in   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  00:10, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

Not mentioned in source. LittleJerry (talk) 00:36, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

You can most certainly find the original paper which proposed each hypothesis. I'm sure your source cites them so it shouldn't take very long to find. You could also add who first proposed them (like you did with the crypsis hypothesis)   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  16:53, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

Done. LittleJerry (talk) 19:11, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

• "Except the mountain zebra, other species can roll over completely" why can't they roll over?   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  20:25, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

Doesn't say. Its presumably back of their back structure. LittleJerry (talk) 22:17, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

• "Zebras are monogastric hindgut fermenters" is the same statement as "Compared to ruminants, zebras have a simpler and less efficient digestive system"   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  20:25, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

Fixed. LittleJerry (talk) 22:17, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

• Do Plains zebras have a fission-fusion society?   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  20:25, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

Yes. LittleJerry (talk) 22:17, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

• "as well as access to a renewable resource" are you talking about water or forage?   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  20:25, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

Both. LittleJerry (talk) 22:17, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

• "Territorial male Grévy's zebra perform rituals" what specifically do they do? Stomp on the ground? Neighing competition?   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  20:25, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

Fixed. LittleJerry (talk) 22:23, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

• Why don't Grévy's zebras have a harem society? Is it environmental?   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  20:25, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

Yes. LittleJerry (talk) 22:17, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

• "the stallion will rush at predators that come too close" may want to reiterate here that this doesn't apply to lions   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  20:25, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

Fixed. LittleJerry (talk) 22:17, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

• "with some wildlife photographers describing them as the most photogenic" the most photogenic what? Big game animal? Mammal? Out of the entire animal kingdom?   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  23:57, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

Wildlife in general. LittleJerry (talk) 00:19, 24 June 2020 (UTC)

• Strange you use Noah's Ark considering zebras are never directly referenced in the Bible   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  23:57, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

Its about art of the Ark, not the book. LittleJerry (talk) 00:14, 24 June 2020 (UTC)

• Do you think it would be worthwhile mention zebra crossings?   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  23:57, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

I don't think so. LittleJerry (talk) 00:14, 24 June 2020 (UTC)

• It would be nice if you could arrange the stripes hypotheses in chronological order   User:Dunkleosteus77 |push to talk  23:58, 23 June 2020 (UTC)

I don't see the need, especially since I think the best supported theory (fly biting) should go last. LittleJerry (talk) 00:14, 24 June 2020 (UTC)