Asiatic wild ass
| Asiatic wild ass | |
|---|---|
| |
| 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 |
| Subgenus | asinus |
| Species Information | |
| Species | E. hemionus |
| Synonyms | Equus onager |
| Population statistics | |
| Population | 55,000 (2015 est.)[1] |
| Conservation status | Near threatened[2] |
The Asiatic wild ass or onager (Equus hemionus) is a species of horse-like mammal of the family Equidae, and found in much of the Middle East and central Asia.
Description
The Asiatic wild ass is 6.9 to 8.2 feet long (excluding the tail), stands 49.3 inches at the withers, and weighs 440 to 640 pounds. Females are slightly smaller than males. It differs from a domestic horse in a more massive head with long ears and thinner legs with narrow, elongated hooves. The hairline is short in summer, close to the skin; in winter, the hair is longer and more sinuous. A short, erect mane stands on the upper side of the neck, which extends from the auricles to the withers. The tail is short and thin, with a tuft of long hair in the lower third.
The general color tone of the body, neck and head is sandy-yellow of various shades and saturation, sometimes reaching reddish-brown with a gray tint. There is a narrow dark stripe along the midline of the back and tail, outlined in white. The mane and tips of the ears are dark brown. Long hair at the end of the tail is black or black-brown. The bottom of the body and neck, the end of the head, the inner parts of the limbs and the area around the tail are light, almost white; the underbelly coloration is more extensive on this animal than on the other species of wild ass.
Subspecies
- Equus hemionus hemionus, Mongolian wild ass
- Equus hemionus hemippus, Syrian wild ass (extinct)
- Equus hemionus hydruntinus, European wild ass (extinct)
- Equus hemionus khur, Indian wild ass, or khur
- Equus hemionus kulan, Turkmenian kulan, or kulan
- Equus hemionus onager, Persian onager
Range and habitat
Historically, the Asiatic wild ass was found throughout much of the Middle East to central Asia, from the Arabian peninsula into Mesopotamia, eastward to Mongolia and northern China, and from as far north as southern Russia and Kazakhstan south to the Indus river valley of Pakistan and the Arabian Sea coastline. Currently, herds are scattered and fragmented in nine countries, including three in which they were reintroduced (Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Israel), and extinct in fifteen others.
It is an animal of semi-arid and arid habitats characterized by dry grasslands and scattered shrub, to mountain grasslands and steppe environments, from sea level to an elevation of 9,100 feet.
Threats
The ICUN has classified this species as "near threatened", noting its declining numbers and scattered population, with 18,411 individual animals located in southern Mongolia and nearby China the largest existing herd; as of 2015 the total cited is 28,000 mature animals, or 55,000 overall[3]. Hunting, competition with domestic livestock, diseases, and regional wars and conflicts have been cited as reasons for the decline in numbers.
