Indian wild ass
| Indian wild ass | |
|---|---|
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| Individual from Odu-Khari in the Little Rann of Kutch | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Perissodactyla |
| Family: | Equidae |
| Genus: | Equus |
| Subgenus: | Asinus |
| Species: | E. hemionus |
| Subspecies: | E. h. khur |
| Trinomial name | |
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Equus hemionus khur Lesson, 1827 |
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| Map of Gujarat showing the Little Rann of Kutch and Great Rann of Kutch. | |
| Synonyms | |
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Equus hemionus indicus |
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Equus hemionus indicus
(Sclater, 1862)
The Indian wild ass or Baluchi wild ass (Equus hemionus khur) also called the ghudkhur in the local Gujarati language, is a subspecies of the onager native to Southern Asia. As of 2016, it is listed as Near Threatened by IUCN.
Previously in 2009, the previous census estimated 4,038 Indian wild ass. However, the population was still growing. In December 2014, the population was estimated at 4,451 individuals. It has increased from a jump of 454. However, as of 2015, the current census of the Indian wild ass population has increased to more than 4,800 individuals in and outside of the Wild Ass Wildlife Sanctuary of India.
The Indian wild ass, as with most other Asian wild ass subspecies, is quite different from the African wild ass species. The coat is usually sandy, but varies from reddish grey, fawn, to pale chestnut. The animal possesses an erect, dark mane which runs from the back of the head and along the neck. The mane is then followed by a dark brown stripe running along the back, to the root of the tail.
The Indian wild ass's range once extended from western India, southern Pakistan (i.e. provinces of Sindh and Baluchistan), Afghanistan, and south-eastern Iran. Today, its last refuge lies in the Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary, Little Rann of Kutch and its surrounding areas of the Great Rann of Kutch in the Gujarat province of India. The animal, however, is also seen in the districts of Surendranagar, Banaskantha, Mehsana, and other Kutch districts. Saline deserts (rann), arid grasslands and shrublands are its preferred environments.
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Wikipedia