African Wild Ass Facts - Photos - Earth's Endangered Creatures

African Wild Ass

Scientific Name:

Equus africanus

Other Names and/or Listed subspecies:

Nubian Wild Ass (Equus africanus africanus), Somali Wild Ass (Equus africanus somaliensis)

Group:

Mammals

Status/Date Listed as Endangered:

EN-US FWS: June 14, 1976

CR-IUCN: 2008

Area(s) Where Listed As Endangered:

Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan

Creature Profile

The African wild ass is the smallest member of the horse family. Its height is an average 6.5 feet and 4 feet at the shoulder. Its upper body is gray with a darker gray dorsal stripe. Its underparts and muzzle are white and its legs are pale and banded. There are two subspecies of the Africa wild ass: The Nubian wild ass, Equus africanus africanus, and the Somalian wild ass, Equus africanus somaliensis. The Nubian wild ass is believed to be extinct. The Somalian wild ass is historically found in the Denkelia region of Eritrea, north-eastern Ethiopia, and Somalia, but there may only be a few hundred left now in Somalia.

The African wild ass eats a variety of grass and forbs. They prefer to spend the day grazing and foraging for food and resting in the afternoon. Males prefer solitary living, but some have been known to form temporary groups and group members change frequently. Males compete for territory and for breeding females, but no bonds are formed. The female gives birth to only one calf after a gestation period of one year.

Threats to this species include hunting and loss of suitable habitat. There are fewer than 100 African wild asses in captivity.

Wikipedia Article

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Wikipedia Article
Copyright Notice: This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "African wild ass".

More Links about the African Wild Ass:

Reference Links:
African Wild Ass - Wikipedia.com

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African Wild Ass Facts Last Updated:
May 9, 2017

To Cite This Page:
Glenn, C. R. 2006. "Earth's Endangered Creatures - African Wild Ass Facts" (Online). Accessed 12/8/2024 at https://earthsendangered.com/profile.asp?sp=13&ID=1.

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« Previous Page

African Wild Ass Facts Last Updated:
May 9, 2017

To Cite This Page:
Glenn, C. R. 2006. "Earth's Endangered Creatures - African Wild Ass Facts" (Online). Accessed 12/8/2024 at https://earthsendangered.com/profile.asp?sp=13&ID=1.

Need more African Wild Ass facts?

Custom Search

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1. Tasmanian Tiger
The Tasmanian tiger is endemic to Australia. Although this species is called tiger (named for its stripes) and wolf (due to its canid-like appearance), it is not a member of the cat or wolf family. It is a member of the marsupial family. Other members of this family include kangaroos and koala bears.

The last known Tasmanian tiger died in a zoo in Hobart, Tasmania in 1936, but there have been hundreds of unconfirmed sightings, and a reserve has been set up in Southwestern Tasmania in the hopes that possible surviving individuals can have adequate habitat.