African Wild Ass (Equus africanus) & Domesticated Donkey (Equus asinus) Fact Sheet: Summary

Describer:

Equus africanus - Heuglin & Fitzinger 1866
Equus asinus (domesticated form) - Linneaus 1758

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Perissodactyla

Suborder: Hippomorpha

Family: Equidae

Genus: Equus

[Species: Equus asinus - domestic donkey]

Species: Equus africanus - African wild ass

Subspecies: Equus africanus africanus
Subspecies: Equus africanus somaliensis

Body Weight: 275 kg (606 lbs)

Head/Body Length: 200 cm (6.6 ft)

Tail Length: 42 cm (17 in)

Pelage: Short smooth gray or brown
with dark stripe down center of back;
upright mane, no forelock; Somali wild
asses have dark leg banding.

Range:
African wild asses in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia.
[Domestic donkeys found nearly world-wide.]

Habitat: African wild asses - arid and semi-arid shrub or grassland. Domestic and feral donkeys - tolerate hot, arid conditions but adapt to many climates and environments.

IUCN Status: Critically Endangered (2014 assessment) (Moehlman et al. 2015)

CITES Appendix: Appendix I (excludes domesticated form)

Population in Wild:  African wild ass; 23-200 mature individuals (possibly 200 more individuals with additional sampling).

Locomotion: Walk, trot, canter, jump, gallop, swim

Activity Cycle: Graze until late afternoon; rest in heat of day

Social Groups: Small, unstable groups of females and young with one or more stallions; vary according to resources present

Diet: Grasses, bark, leaves, shrubs

Predators: In western U.S., mountain lions and humans

Sexual Maturity: Males by 2 years; females by 1.5 years but don't usually breed until 2-3 years.

Gestation: 1 year

Litter Size: Usually one; two rarely

Birth weight: 25 kg (55 lb)

Age at Weaning: 12-14 mo.

Typical Life Expectancy: about 20 years in the wild for Equus africanus

Feature Facts:

• Feral donkeys are well-adapted to life in hot arid environments; they can vary their body temperature by as much as 6.5° C (11.7° F).
• Found in wild today only in Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Somalia
• Hooves are the narrowest of any equid and quite small; these animals are very sure-footed as a result
• Being hunted for food and medicinal purposes is primary threat to survival
• Since the birth of the San Diego Zoo Safari Park's first Somali ass in 1986, 42 have been born there. Only four other U.S. institutions have Somali wild asses.
• In 2011, the Safari Park had three new foals born to the herd's sire, "Freedom". Seven critically endangered Somali wild asses now reside at the Park. (Equus africanus somaliensis)..