Where does the African wild ass live?
The African wild ass is a wild member of the horse family, and the ancestor of the domestic donkey. It lives 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. Mature males defend territories of around 23 square kilometres, and the asses live separated from each other, except mothers with young, unlike horse herds.
What does the African wild ass eat?
It eats grasses, bark and leaves. It is dependent on water: when not receiving the needed moisture from vegetation, it must drink at least once every three days, and it can drink salty or brackish water. It is about 1.2 m tall and weighs approximately 250 kg, with a short, smooth coat of light grey to fawn and a slender dark dorsal stripe.
Is the African wild ass endangered?
Yes: the IUCN lists it as Critically Endangered: about 570 exist in the wild. It has been captured for domestication for centuries, hunted for food and traditional medicine in Ethiopia and Somalia, competes with livestock for grazing, and interbreeds with domestic donkeys. About 150 Somali wild asses live in zoos.
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