TheAfrican wild ass (Equus africanus) orAfrican wild donkey, is a wild member of thehorse family,Equidae.[3] This species is thought to be the ancestor of the domesticdonkey (Equus asinus), which is sometimes placed within the same species.[4] They live in thedeserts and otherarid areas of theHorn of Africa, inEritrea,Ethiopia andSomalia. It formerly had a wider range north and west intoSudan,Egypt, andLibya. It isCritically Endangered, with about 570 existing in the wild.
The African wild ass is about 1.2 metres (4 ft) tall and weighs approximately 250 kilograms (600 lb).[5] 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 allsubspecies, while in theNubian wild ass (E. a. africanus), as well as the domestic donkey, there is a stripe across the shoulder.[6] The legs of theSomali wild ass (E. a. somaliensis) are horizontally striped with black, resembling those of azebra.[5] 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 of the diameter as the legs.[5]
The genusEquus, which includes all extant equines, is believed to have evolved fromDinohippus, via the intermediate formPlesippus. One of the oldest species isEquus simplicidens, described as zebra-like with a donkey-shaped head. The oldest fossil to date is ~3.5 million years old from Idaho in the United States. The genus appears to have spread quickly into the Old World, with the similarly agedEquus livenzovensis documented from western Europe and Russia.[7]
Molecular phylogenies indicate the most recent common ancestor of all modern equids (members of the genusEquus) lived ~5.6 (3.9–7.8) mya. Direct paleogenomic sequencing of a 700,000-year-old middle Pleistocene horse metapodial bone from Canada implies a more recent 4.07 Myr before present date for the most recent common ancestor (MRCA) within the range of 4.0 to 4.5 Myr BP.[8] The oldest divergencies are the Asian hemiones (subgenusE. (Asinus), including thekulan,onager, andkiang), followed by the African zebras (subgeneraE. (Dolichohippus), andE. (Hippotigris)). All other modern forms including the domesticated horse (and many fossilPliocene andPleistocene forms) belong to the subgenusE. (Equus) which diverged ~4.8 (3.2–6.5) million years ago.[9]
Different authors consider the African wild ass and the domesticated donkey one or two species; either view is technically legitimate, though the former isphylogenetically more accurate.[citation needed] However, theAmerican Society of Mammalogists classifies the donkey as a distinct species, as it does with almost all domestic mammals.[10]
The species name for the African wild ass is sometimes given asasinus, from the domestic donkey, whose specific name is older and usually would have priority. But this usage is erroneous since theInternational Commission on Zoological Nomenclature has conserved the nameEquus africanus inOpinion 2027. This was done to prevent the confusing situation of the phylogenetic ancestor beingtaxonomically included in its descendant.
Thus, if one species is recognized, the correct scientific name of the donkey isE. africanus asinus.
The first published name for the African wild ass,Asinus africanus, Fitzinger, 1858, is anomen nudum.[11] The nameEquus taeniopusvon Heuglin, 1861[12] is rejected as indeterminable, as it is based on an animal that cannot be identified and may have been ahybrid between a domesticdonkey and aSomali wild ass; thetype has not been preserved.[11] The firstavailable name thus becomesAsinus africanus von Heuglin & Fitzinger, 1866.[2][11] Alectotype is designated: a skull of an adult female collected by von Heuglin nearAtbarah River, Sudan, and present in theState Museum of Natural History Stuttgart, MNS 32026.[11] The subspecies recognized:
African wild asses are well suited to life in a desert or semidesert environment.[5] 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.[citation needed]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.[1] 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.
The African wild ass is primarily active in the cooler hours between late afternoon and early morning, seeking shade and shelter amongst the rocky hills during the day. The Somali wild ass is also very agile and nimble-footed, capable of moving quickly across boulder fields and in the mountains. On the flat, it has been recorded reaching speeds of 70 km/h (43 mph). In keeping with these feats, its soles are particularly hard and its hooves grow very quickly.[21]
Mature males defend largeterritories around 23 square kilometres in size, marking them withdung heaps – an essential marker in the flat, monotonous terrain. Due to the size of these ranges, thedominant male cannot exclude other males. Rather, intruders are tolerated – recognized and treated assubordinates, and kept as far away as possible from any of the resident females. In the presence of estrous females, the males bray loudly. These animals live in looseherds of up to fifty individuals.
Foal ofSomali wild ass (E. a. somalicus)Somali wild ass mother and foal
In the wild, African wild ass breeding occurs during the wet season.[22] The gestation period lasts for 11 to 12 months, and one foal is born during the period from October to February.[22][23] The foal weans for 6 to 8 months after birth, reaching sexual maturity at the age of 2 years.[23] Lifespan is up to 40 years in captivity.[22][23]
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 ancientSumer to pull wagons circa 2600 BC, and thenchariots on theStandard of Ur, circa 2000 BC. These have been suggested to representonagers, but are now thought to have been domesticated asses.[24]
The African wild asses' diet consists ofgrasses,bark, andleaves. Despite being primarily adapted for living in an arid climate, they are dependent on water, and when not receiving the needed moisture from vegetation, they must drink at least once every three days. However, they can survive on a surprisingly small amount of liquid, and have been reported to drink salty or brackish water.
Though the species itself is under no threat of extinction, due to abundant domestic stock (donkeys andburros), the two extant wild subspecies are both listed as critically endangered. African wild asses have been captured for domestication for centuries and this, along with interbreeding between wild and domestic animals, has caused a distinct decline in population numbers. There are now only a few hundred individuals left in the wild.[4] These animals are also hunted for food and for traditional medicine in both Ethiopia and Somalia.[1] Competition with domestic livestock for grazing, and restricted access to water supplies caused by agricultural developments, pose further threats to the survival of this species.[1] The African wild ass is legally protected in the countries where it is currently found, although these measures often prove difficult to enforce. A protected population of the Somali wild ass exists in theYotvata Hai-Bar Nature Reserve in Israel, to the north ofEilat. This reserve was established in 1968 with the view to bolster populations of endangered desert species. Populations of horses and asses are fairly resilient and, if the species is properly protected, it may well recover from its current low.
There are about 150 individual Somali wild asses living in zoos around the globe, of which 36 were born atZoo Basel,[25] where this species'breeding program started with Basel's first Somali wild asses in 1970 and the first birth in 1972.[26]
Zoo Basel manages the European studbook for the Somali wild ass and coordinates theEuropean Endangered Species Programme (EEP).[27] All European wild donkeys are either descendants of the original group at Zoo Basel or of 12 others that came from theYotvata Hai-Bar Nature Reserve in Israel in 1972.
^abc(in German)Heuglin Th. v &Fitzinger L. J. (1866). "Systematische Übersicht der Säugethiere Nordost-Afrika's mit Einschluß der arabischen Küste, des rothen Meeres, der Somáli- und der Nilquellen-Länder, südwärts bis zum vierten Grade nördlicher Breite. Von Dr Theodor v. Heuglin. Nach brieflichen Mittheilungen und den Original-Exemplaren des Herrn Verfassers ergänzt und mit Zusätzen versehen von dem w. M. Dr Leopold Joseph Fitzinger".Sitzungsberichte der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Abt. 1. Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Klasse 54: 537–611.
^(in German)Heuglin Th. v (1861). "Th. v. Heuglin's Forschungen über die Fauna des Rothen Meeres und der Somáli-Kuste. Ein systematisches Verzeichniss der Säugethiere und Vögel, welche in diesen Regionen bisher beobachtet worden sind, mit Rücksicht auf ihre geographische Verbreitung in horizontaler und vertikaler Ausdehnung".Mittheilungen aus Justus Perthes' Geographischer Anstalt über Wichtige Neue Erforschungen auf dem Gesammtgebiete der Geographie von Dr A. Petermann ("Petermann's Geographische Mittheilungen"): 11–32.
^abKingdon, Jonathan (1997)The Kingdon field guide to African mammals. Helm, London
^(in German) Noack Th. (1884). "Neues aus der Tierhandlung von Karl Hagenbeck, sowie aus dem Zoologischen Garten in Hamburg".Der Zoologische Garten25: 100–115.
^Groves, C. (2013). Subgenus Asinus African Wild Ass inThe Mammals of Africa Vol. V. (eds. Kingdon, J., Happold, DCD, Butynski, TM, Hoffmann, M., Happold, M. & Kalina, J.) 414–417.
^Kimura, B., Marshall, F. B., Chen, S., Rosenbom, S., Moehlman, P. D., Tuross, N., ... & Mulligan, C. J. (2011). "Ancient DNA from Nubian and Somali wild ass provides insights into donkey ancestry and domestication".Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 278(1702), 50–57.
^Riemer, H. & Pöllath, N. (2007)Desert animals in the eastern Sahara: status, economic significance, and cultural reflection in antiquity. Proceedings of an interdisciplinary ACACIA workshop held at the University of Cologne December 14–15, 2007
^Guagnin, M., Shipton, C., el-Dossary, S., al-Rashid, M., Moussa, F., Stewart, M., ... & Petraglia, M. D. (2018). "Rock art provides new evidence on the biogeography of kudu (Tragelaphus imberbis), wild dromedary, aurochs (Bos primigenius) and African wild ass (Equus africanus) in the early and middle Holocene of north-western Arabia".Journal of Biogeography, 45 (4), 727–740.
^Clutton-Brock, Juliet (1992).Horse Power: A History of the Horse and the Donkey in Human Societies. USA: Harvard University Press.ISBN978-0-674-40646-9.
^"Zoo Basel". Zoobasel.ch. Archived fromthe original on 20 December 2013. Retrieved16 February 2013.
^"Zoo Basel". Zoobasel.ch. Archived fromthe original on 20 December 2013. Retrieved16 February 2013.
Equus asinus, in Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (editors). 2005.Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed), Johns Hopkins University Press, 2,142 pp. .
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