This article is about the horse species. For the siege weapon, see Onager (siege weapon).

The Onager (Equus hemionus) is a large mammal belonging to the horse family and native to the deserts of Syria, Iran, Pakistan, India, and Tibet. It is sometimes known as the Half Ass or the Asian Wild Ass.

Like many other large grazing animals, its range has contracted greatly under the pressures of hunting and habitat loss, and of the six subspecies, one is extinct and two endangered. The Kiang (E. kiang), a Tibetan relative, was previously considered to be a subspecies of the Onager as E. hemionus kiang, but recent molecular studies indicate that it is a distinct species.

Onagers are a little larger than Donkeys at about 290 kg and 2.1 metres (head-body length), and are a little more horse-like. They are short-legged compared to horses, and their coloring varies depending on the season. They are generally reddish-brown in color during the summer, becoming yellowish-brown in the winter months. They have a black stripe bordered in white that extends down the middle of the back. Onagers were used in ancient Sumer to pull chariots, circa 2600 BCE.

Subspecies

• Mongolian Wild Ass, (Equus hemionus hemionus Pallas 1775). Status: vulnerable.
• Syrian Wild Ass, (Equus hemionus hemippus Geoffroy, 1855). Status: extinct (since 1927)
• Gobi Kulan or Dziggetai , (Equus hemionus luteus Matschie 1911). Status: vulnerable.
• Turkmenian Kulan, (Equus hemionus kulan Groves & Mazak 1967). Status: critically endangered.
• Persian Onager, (Equus hemionus onager Boddaert 1795). Status: critically endangered.
• Indian Wild Ass or Khur, Equus hemionus khur Lesson 1827). Status: endangered.

See also

• La peau de chagrin

External links

• Onager (Asiatic wild ass)- Photo from the Hai-Bar Wildlife Preserve in Israel.
• Asian Wild Ass ( Equus hemionus kulan ) facts and photography - Wild Animals Online encyclopedia

References

• Database entry includes justification for why this species is vulnerable
• Duncan, P. (ed.). 1992. Zebras, Asses, and Horses: an Action Plan for the Conservation of Wild Equids. IUCN/SSC Equid Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.
• Moehlman, P. & Feh, C. 2002. Equus hemionus. In: IUCN 2004. 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. . Downloaded on 21 January 2006.

Equids | Mammals of India | Mammals of Pakistan

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