The Asian Wild Asses colors depend on the season. As a rule, they are reddish-brown in the summer and yellow-brown in the winter. They are characterized by a thick black stripe with white edges that go down the middle of their backs. They are white underneath. They have small feet and short legs. Their head and body length are 6.5 to 8feet long, the tail length is 12 to 16 inches, and the shoulder height is 3 to 5feet. They weigh anywhere from 440 pounds to 570 pounds. 40,000 years ago Asian

 

Wild Asses used to live in western Germany. Now they are found in Mongolia, Northern China, Asia, Iran, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan. They prefer flat country, graze and rest on highlands, lowlands, deserts, semi-deserts, or steppes. Asian Wild Asses are never found more than 30km from a permanent oasis or spring. They like to travel in herds in West-central Asia. If rivals try to take a male's breeding territory, they will kick and bite the male intruders.

 

Between 1994-1997 there were 33,000 to 63,00 Asian Wild Asses. In 2003 it dropped down to 20,000. Their subspecies are the Onager, the Kulan, the Mongolian Wild Ass, and the Syrian Wild Ass. The subspecies lost 50% of their population. The Syrian Wild Asses are extinct. Asian Wild Asses are dying off because people killed them. They thought there were too many Asian Wild Asses. They are also endangered in Southwestern and Central Asia. The rest of the population is vulnerable.

 

Asian Wild Asses are herbivores and eat perennial grasses, herbs, and bark. They have to compete with other grazing livestock. This creates is a shortage of food and water. Other than humans, wolves also attack the Asian Wild Ass. Some interesting facts I found about Asian Wild Asses were that they have a lot of subspecies and one of these is already extinct. The Asian Wild Ass is also vulnerable. I think that it is amazing how much the population of the Wild Asses has decreased over the years.

 

Author: Jasmine Z 

Published: 05/2009

 

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