Onager Related Category: Vertebrate Zoology (n´jr) or Persian wild ass, wild ass of central Asia, Equus hemonius onager. One of the several races of Asian wild ass (E. hemonius), it formerly ranged widely across S Russia, Iran, and Afghanistan.
Onagers and kulans Equus hemionus live in harsh desert habitat, where summer temperatures can reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius)! They also have to deal with the problem of finding enough food to eat.
Onagers are a little larger than donkeys at about 290 kilograms (640 lb) and 2.1 metres (6.9 ft) (head-body length), and are a little more horse-like. They are short-legged compared to horses, and their coloring varies depending on the season.
Onager, Persian - Equus hemionus onager Orangutan, Bornean - Pongo pygmaeus Orangutan, Sumatran-Bornean - Pongo pygmaeus abelii Oryx, scimitar-horned - Oryx dammah Otter, Asian small-clawed - Aonyx cinerea ...
Family: Equidae (wild and domestic horses, donkeys, kiang, onager, zebras, extinct quagga) Genus: Equus Species: Equus asinus - domestic donkey (or burro, or ass) Species: Equus africanus - African Wild Ass ...
The TARPAN (E.caballus); the Asian ONAGER ; the Ass ; the three species of ZEBRA . The QUAGGA is an extinct representative .
The Persian wild ass: (or onager) may be found in northern Iran and in the Badkhyz Reserve in Turkmeniya, part of the former USSR. This reserve was specially established for the protection of the wild ass in 1941.
The only extant family of this suborder is Equidae (whose sole surviving genus is Equus), comprising the horse, zebra, donkey, onager, and allied species. The extinct, rhinoceros-like brontotheres are also included in this suborder.
Some of them are the African Wild Ass (Equus africanus) and its subspecies Somalian Wild Ass (Equus africanus somaliensis). The Onager, Equus hemionus, and its relative the Kiang, Equus kiang, are closely related wild species.
This is also the case when different species of asses interbreed, such as the onager and the Somali wild ass. Even though they are in the same genus taxonomically, the hybrid offspring of two species of ass will have sterile offspring.
All Shapes and Sizes: Horses come in all shapes, colors and sizes. The equidae family describes your typical barnyard horse, but also includes asses, onagers and zebras.
They continue to fill important roles in many places today and domesticated species are increasing in numbers (although the African wild ass and another relative, the Onager are endangered species).
See also: Wild Ass, Ass, Zebra, Donkey, Kiang
 
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