African wild ass
| African wild ass | |
|---|---|
| |
| Somali wild ass Equus africanus somaliensis | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom Information | |
| Domain | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Subkingdom | Bilateria |
| Branch | Deuterostomia |
| Phylum Information | |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Sub-phylum | Vertebrata |
| Infraphylum | Gnathostomata |
| Class Information | |
| Superclass | Tetrapoda |
| Class | Mammalia |
| Sub-class | Theriiformes |
| Infra-class | Holotheria |
| Order Information | |
| Superorder | Preptotheria |
| Order | Perissodactyla |
| Sub-order | Hippomorpha |
| Family Information | |
| Family | Equidae |
| Genus Information | |
| Genus | Equus |
| Species Information | |
| Species | E. africanus |
| Synonyms | Equus asinus |
| Population statistics | |
| Population | 23-200 (2014 est.)[1] |
| Conservation status | Critically endangered[2] |
The African wild ass (Equus africanus), is a species of horse-like mammal of the family Equidae, and currently found in northern Ethiopia, with the possibility it may be extinct within parts of its former range.
Description
The African wild ass is 6.6 feet long, has a shoulder height of 4 feet 1 inches to 4 feet 9 inches, and weighs 510 to 610 pounds. They are light gray to fawn in color, with white undersides and legs. The mane is stiff and erect, light gray at the base, black at the tip; this black coloration continues down the spine in a narrow stripe, with the Nubian subspecies bearing a crossbar at the shoulder blades. The Somalian subspecies bears black striping on the lower legs. The tail is more cow-like than horse-like, about 12 to 20 inches long, with longer hairs at the tip.
Subspecies
- Equus africanus africanus, Nubian wild ass
- Equus africanus asinus, donkey
- Equus africanus atlanticus, Atlas wild ass (extinct)
- Equus africanus somaliensis, Somali wild ass
Range and habitat
The current range of the African wild ass is limited to northern Ethiopia, where only a few hundred of these animals live. Individual populations are also assumed for Egypt, Sudan and Djibouti, but there has been no reliable information here for some years. The population density is very low and is given as 0.6 individuals per 38.6 mi² for Ethiopia. The original range once covered all of North Africa from Morocco to Somalia and the Arabian Peninsula from Mesopotamia to Yemen, with the species disappearing from large parts of its range as early as Roman times. Due to hunting, habitat destruction, mixing with feral and domestic livestock and the transmission of diseases from these, their populations have continued to decline.
In contrast, the donkey is widespread as a result of domestication and use by man; the ease of use as a beast of burden allowed trade goods - and the animal itself - to spread around the world, where they are still used as such in developing and poor countries. In addition, large wild populations exist in Australia and the USA.
It is a creature of semi-arid to arid environments, including dry, hilly or mountainous regions, mostly with stony subsoil. The African wild ass can be found in Ethiopia up to an elevation of 6,000 feet. These regions are overgrown with scrub or grassland, but are generally considered barren. Furthermore, the inhabited landscape is characterized by harsh climatic conditions with high temperatures that can reach up to 122° F.
