The onager, also called the Asian wild ass, Equus hemionus, is a wild member of the horse family that grazes on highland and lowland desert, semidesert and steppe, and is never found more than about 30 kilometres from a permanent oasis or spring. It is reddish brown in summer and yellowish brown in winter, with white or buff underparts and a thick black dorsal stripe edged in white, and adults weigh roughly 200 to 260 kilograms. Individuals have been clocked at up to 43 miles per hour. More than half of all animals live in southern Mongolia, and other subspecies persist in China, Iran and India, while the Syrian subspecies went extinct in 1927. Competition with livestock for water and food is the largest threat to every subspecies. Most wild onagers live four to eight years.
Facts
Classification
System (Realm) ThreatsAgriculture and Aquaculture 1 ThreatsBiological Resource Use 1 Relationship to People Living or Extinct Conservation Status Body Size Band Comparison
CITES Appendix Connections
Child Taxon Of
Equidae, Taxa Source Animal Diversity Web: Equus hemionus (Onager)
Equus, Taxa Source Animal Diversity Web: Equus hemionus (Onager)
In Biome
Desert, Biomes Source Animal Diversity Web: Equus hemionus (Onager)
Steppe, Biomes Source Animal Diversity Web: Equus hemionus (Onager)
In the Other Atlases
Same As
Also in War and Military Atlas: the same subject.
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Animal Diversity Web: Equus hemionus (Onager)Geographic Range, where it livesQuote, Geographic Range, where it lives
Currently, at least one subspecies has been found in Russia, China, Iran, and India. However, the major population (over half the total number) of E. hemionus is found in southern Mongolia.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Animal Diversity Web: Equus hemionus (Onager)Geographic Range, where it livesQuote, Geographic Range, where it lives
Currently, at least one subspecies has been found in Russia, China, Iran, and India. However, the major population (over half the total number) of E. hemionus is found in southern Mongolia.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Animal Diversity Web: Equus hemionus (Onager)Geographic Range, where it livesQuote, Geographic Range, where it lives
Currently, at least one subspecies has been found in Russia, China, Iran, and India. However, the major population (over half the total number) of E. hemionus is found in southern Mongolia.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Source Animal Diversity Web: Equus hemionus (Onager)Geographic Range, where it livesQuote, Geographic Range, where it lives
Currently, at least one subspecies has been found in Russia, China, Iran, and India. However, the major population (over half the total number) of E. hemionus is found in southern Mongolia.
Sources
1. Animal Diversity Web: Equus hemionus (Onager)
Food Habits
The Asian wild ass is strictly herbivorous
Habitat
It primarily grazes and rests on highland or lowland desert, semidesert or steppe.
Geographic Range
Currently, at least one subspecies has been found in Russia, China, Iran, and India.
Conservation Status
The largest threat to all of the six subspecies is competition with livestock.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
During the first half of the 1900s, Asian wild asses were hunted for meat and for their coats.
Conservation Status, CITES
CITES Appendix I
Physical Description, range mass
Range mass 200 to 260 kg
Lifespan/Longevity, captive
In captivity, Asian wild asses have lived for 26 years.
Geographic Range, where it lives
Currently, at least one subspecies has been found in Russia, China, Iran, and India. However, the major population (over half the total number) of E. hemionus is found in southern Mongolia.
Child Taxon Of: Equidae, Scientific Classification
Family Equidae asses, horses, and zebras
Child Taxon Of: Equus, Scientific Classification
Genus Equus asses, horses, and zebras
In Group: Odd-Toed Ungulates (Perissodactyla), Scientific Classification
Order Perissodactyla horses, rhinoceroses, and tapirs
View the Source2. Onager (Wikipedia)
LeadQuote, Lead
It has been classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List in 2015.
3. Human Ageing Genomic Resources, University of Liverpool: AnAge entry for Equus hemionus
Human Ageing Genomic Resources, University of LiverpoolLifespan, ageing, and relevant traitsQuote, Lifespan, ageing, and relevant traits
Maximum longevity 31.6 years (captivity)
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