Friday, August 12, 2011

African Wild Ass


True Wild Life | African Wild Ass | The African Wild Ass is a wild member of the horse family, Equidae. This species is believed to be the ancestor of the domestic donkey which is usually placed within the same species. They live in the deserts and other arid areas of northeastern Africa, in Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia; it formerly had a wider range north and west into Sudan, Egypt and Libya. About 570 individuals exist in the wild. The African Wild Ass is suited for life in the desert, capable of going on for up to three days without drinking water.


African wild asses are well suited to life in a desert or semidesert environment. 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. 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. They have very loud voices, which can be heard for over 3 km, which helps them to keep in contact with other asses over the wide spaces of the desert.

The African 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. The African Wild Ass eats plant material, often eating thorn bushes and tougher plants that other animals ignore. They need to have water at least every three days, but they are able to survive on water that is dirty and brackish and can get a lot of their moisture from the plant material that they eat.


Sexual maturity of the female ass usually happens by the time she reaches two. Males can also reproduce at two, but it is so competitive that they usually are forced to wait until they are around four. Males are very territorial and will often hold a huge territory that is about 23 km, and they mark the edges of their territories with dung. Other males are allowed in, but they are kept away from the females as much as possible. Male donkeys will bray when the females are in season, and a dominant male of a territory has first right to breed with any female that comes around. The gestational period usually lasts 11-12 months, and the females in the wild usually give birth only once every two years. The young are weaned at about six months of age, and the animals can live approximately 40 years.


In addition to their struggle with domesticated livestock to secure food and water, the African Wild Ass also became a hunted animal for consumption and medicine. Many dangerous weapons found their way into the homeland of the African Wild Ass due to the war between Ethiopia and Eritrea. There is a concern that these weapons will be used more often from now on to hunt more of the African Wild Ass. Currently, there is a protection program in progress to move the African Wild Ass into a protected area of Israel.

29 comments:

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

HOW COULD ANYBODY HUNT THEESE ANIMALS

Anonymous said...

BY THE WAY ERITREA WON THE WAR I KNOW ITS
SMALL BUT JUST LIKE THE ASS ITS BEUATIFUL

Anonymous said...

LOVE EM WHO WOULDN'T PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZ COMMENT

Anonymous said...

Hey Girl !

Anonymous said...

hi what u doin

Anonymous said...

Ayee Girl Nothin HBU ?

Anonymous said...

hey
its christy:D

Anonymous said...

umm at school on the computer ayee girl this class is fun ..... do you think so ....... every body talkin .... but u rite next to each other lol :)

Anonymous said...

Hey Christy !!! Girl what you doin?

Anonymous said...

Lol IKR !!! Ahahah I wish this teacher would let us go on Youtube !

Anonymous said...

ahahahah iknow! :D lmaooo . . . . IM SO BORED. LOL

Anonymous said...

hey christy girl whatt u doin ..... do yall think this class is fun ..... put a :0 if u think this page is like fb

Anonymous said...

Right Girl we all know you is on Youtube Christy ! :D

Anonymous said...

:o I know this is like some chat room Ahah !

Anonymous said...

i know she got her head phones on

Anonymous said...

:0 :0 :) :0 :)

Anonymous said...

:O chat room, youtube.. etc;D

Anonymous said...

yup yup yup!!!!

Anonymous said...

:D Aha This Chat Room,Coolmath !! Bro Ahaha !

Anonymous said...

Ayee LOL. im so bored, that im texting my mom. hahaha

Anonymous said...

hahaha and our teacher does not care

Anonymous said...

Right ! And i wish my phone was on :( Christy what kind of phone you got?

Anonymous said...

NOPE LMFAO ;D im so hyper. antonia your face is like did i need to take a shit.. lmao

Anonymous said...

iPhone.

Anonymous said...

Ahah Christy I dont need to Shit its just this game i dont want to DIE XD hahahaha

Anonymous said...

oh yea antonia lindsey

Anonymous said...

AHHAHAHHA Dying would suck! & who the fuck is antonia lindsey! EW. (:

Anonymous said...

%i#@!

Labels

Albatross Alligator Amphibian Angelfish Ant Anteater Antelope Ape Armadillo Aves Avocet Axolotl Baboon Badger Bandicoot Barb Barracuda Bat Bear Beaver Bee Beetle Binturong Bird Birds Of Paradise Bison Boar Bongo Bonobo Booby Budgerigar Buffalo Butterfly Butterfly Fish Caiman Camel Capybara Caracal Carnivore Cassowary Cat Caterpillar Catfish Cattle Centipede Chameleon Chamois Cheetah Chicken Chimpanzee Chinchilla Cichlid Civet Clouded Leopard Clown Fish Coati Cockroach Collared Peccary Common Buzzard Coral Cougar Cow Coyote Crab Crane Critically Endangered Crocodile Crustacean Cuscus Damselfly Deer Dhole Discus Dodo Dog Dolphin Donkey Dormouse Dragon Dragonfly Duck Dugong Eagle Echidna Eel Elephant Emu Endangered Extinct Falcon Ferret Fish Flamingo Flatfish Flounder Fly Fossa Fox Frog Gar Gazelle Gecko Gerbil Gharial Gibbon Giraffe Goat Goose Gopher Gorilla Grasshopper Grouse Guinea Fowl Guinea Pig Guppy Hamster Hare Hedgehog Herbivore Heron Hippopotamus Horse Human Hummingbird Hyena Ibis Iguana Impala Insect Invertebrate Jackal Jaguar Jellyfish Kangaroo Kingfisher Kiwi Koala Kudu Ladybird Ladybug Larvae Least Concern Lemming Lemur Leopard Lion Lionfish Lizard Llama Lobster Lynx Macaque Mammal Mammoth Manatee Mandrill Manta Ray Marsupial Mayfly Meerkat Millipede Mole Mollusca Molly Mongoose Monkey Moorhen Moose Moth Mouse Mule Near Threatened Newt Nightingale Numbat Octopus Okapi Olm Omnivore Opossum Orang Utan Oriole Ostrich Otter Owl Oyster Pademelon Panda Panther Parrot Peacock Pelican Penguin Phanter Pheasant Pig Pika Pike Piranha Platypus Pond Skater Possum Prawn Primate Puffer Fish Puffin Puma Quail Quoll Rabbit Raccoon Raccoon Dog Rare Rat Reindeer Reptile Rhinoceros Robin Rodent Salamander Scorpion Scorpion Fish Sea Dragon Sea Lion Sea Slug Sea Squirt Sea Urchin Seahorse Seal Serval Shark Sheep Shrew Shrimp Skunk Sloth Snail Snake Spider Sponge Squid Squirrel Starfish Stoat Swan Tamarin Tapir Tarantula Threatened Tiger Toad Tortoise Toucan Turkey Turtle Vulnerable Vulture Walrus Weasel Whale Wildebeest Wolf Woodlouse Woodpecker Worm Zebra