The African Wild Ass 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 northeastern 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 suited for life in the desert, capable of going on for up to three days without drinking water.
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, which
helps them to keep in contact with other asses over the wide spaces of
the desert.
The
African 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. The African
Wild Ass eats plant material, often eating thorn bushes and tougher
plants that other animals ignore. They need to have water at least every
three days, but they are able to survive on water that is dirty and
brackish and can get a lot of their moisture from the plant material
that they eat.
Sexual maturity of the female
ass usually happens by the time she reaches two. Males can also
reproduce at two, but it is so competitive that they usually are forced
to wait until they are around four. Males are very territorial and will
often hold a huge territory that is about 23 km, and they mark the edges
of their territories with dung. Other males are allowed in, but they
are kept away from the females as much as possible. Male donkeys will
bray when the females are in season, and a dominant male of a territory
has first right to breed with any female that comes around. Source
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