The African wild ass (Equus africanus) is a wild member of the horse family, Equidae.This species is believed to be the ancestor of the domestic donkey which is usually placed within the same species.They live in the deserts and other arid areas of the Horn of Africa, in Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia; it formerly had a wider range north and west into Sudan, Egypt and Libya. About 570 individuals exist in the wild.
The African wild ass is 2 metres (6.6 ft) long and 1.25 to 1.45 metres (12.1 to 14.1 h) (51 to 59 in) tall at the shoulders, with a tail 30–50 centimetres (12–20 in) long. It weighs between 230–275 kilograms (510–610 lb). The short, smooth coat is a light grey to fawn colour, fading quickly to white on the undersides and legs. There is a slender, dark dorsal stripe in all subspecies, while in the Nubian wild ass E. a. africanus, as well as the domestic donkey, there is a stripe across the shoulder.
The legs of the Somali wild ass E. a. somaliensis are horizontally striped with black, resembling those of a zebra.On the nape of the neck, there is a stiff, upright mane, the hairs of which are tipped with black.[citation needed] The ears are large with black margins. The tail terminates with a black brush. The hooves are slender and approximately the diameter of the legs.
African wild asses are well suited to life in a desert or semidesert environment.They have tough digestive systems, which can break down desert vegetation and extract moisture from food efficiently. They can also go without water for a fairly long time. Their large ears give them an excellent sense of hearing and help in cooling.
Because of the sparse vegetation in their environment wild asses live somewhat separated from each other (except for mothers and young), unlike the tightly grouped herds of wild horses.They have very loud voices, which can be heard for over 3 km (1.9 mi), which helps them to keep in contact with other asses over the wide spaces of the desert.
Wild asses can run swiftly, almost as fast as a horse. However, unlike most hoofed mammals, their tendency is to not flee right away from a potentially dangerous situation, but to investigate first before deciding what to do. When they need to, they can defend themselves with kicks from both their front and hind legs. Equids were used in ancient Sumer to pull wagons circa 2600 BC, and then chariots on the Standard of Ur, circa 2000 BC. These have been suggested to represent onagers, but are now thought to have been domestic asses.
