Equus kiang, Moorcroft, 1841
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.5719778 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5719792 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03B0E520-E813-5866-FF1A-A3CDEC6BF56D |
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treatment provided by |
Conny |
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scientific name |
Equus kiang |
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3 View On .
Tibetan Wild Ass
French: Kiang / German: Kiang / Spanish: Kiang
Other common names: Kiang ; Eastern Kiang (holdereri), Southern Kiang (polyodon), Western Kiang ( kiang )
Taxonomy. Equus kiang Moorcroft, 1841 View in CoL ,
Ladakh, state ofJammu and Kashmir, India.
Three subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution.
E. k. holderersMatschie, 1911 — WCChina (SEXinjiang, Quinghai, Gansu & EXizang). E. k. polyodon Hodgson, 1847 — SW China (S Xizang) and N India (N Sikkim); also possibly in extreme N & NW Bhutan. View Figure
Descriptive notes. Head-body 182-214 cm, tail 32-45 cm, shoulder height 132-142 cm; weight 250-400 kg. Tibetan Wild Asses have large heads, thick muzzles, relatively long manes, and tails with long hairs not restricted to the tip. Their hooves are broad and rounded like the hooves of horses. Tibetan Wild Asses have dark chestnut-brown coats covering the upper flanks and thighs and white bellies, lower flanks, legs, and rump patches. The coat is paler in the winter and redder in the summer. The mane and the edges and tips of the ears are black. A dark brown dorsal stripe extends from the mane to the tail and each hoofis circled by a thin black ring. Chestnuts are found only on the forelegs. Males are slightly larger than females.
Habitat. The Tibetan Wild Ass is endemic to the Tibetan Plateau of Central Asia at elevations from 2700 m to 5300 m. It rangesas far south as the Himalayas and north to the Kunlun-Arjin Shan Mountains. Tibetan Wild Asses inhabit three major vegetation zones: alpine meadow, alpine steppe, and desert steppe. Alpine meadows are generally found at elevations below 4500 m in areas where precipitation exceeds 400 mm per year. Vegetation in these meadows starts growing earlier than in the other areas and short sedges, such as Kobresia, and forbs cover about 25-30% of the surface. Alpine steppe is the most abundant habitat on the Tibetan Plateau, occurring at elevations between 4000 m and 5000 m. Precipitation is low and vegetation is sparse, covering less than 15% of the ground, with Stipa, Festuca, and Poa being the most common grasses. Desert steppe occurs at elevations greater than 5000 m. Although the vegetation of the desert steppe is similar to that of the alpine steppe, only 5% of the ground is covered in vegetation. Not surprisingly, the Tibetan Wild Ass occupies mostly alpine meadows and steppe. Almost 80% of Tibetan Wild Ass sightings are in the basins in these habitats. Most of the other sightings are on the hills. Open plains seem to be used as refuges from predators.
Food and Feeding. Tibetan Wild Asses are grazers, mostly concentrating on Stipa, which comprises up to 656% ofits diet in summer and up to 95% in winter. Small amounts of forbs and shrubs are also consumed, and in winter, digging for roots is also common. Waterholes are scarce in the summer and often frozen in the winter, when snow is eaten instead. When the vegetation is of high quality, Tibetan Wild Asses acquire most of their water from vegetation.
Breeding. The mating season is late and short compared to other seasonally breeding equids, running from late July to the end of August. Gestation length appears to vary from eleven to twelve months. Females typically give birth to one foal every other year. Little is known about the age of sexual maturity in the wild, but it is likely that it is similar to the desert-living “Kulan” ( E. hemionus kulan), which begins breeding between three and four years of age. The age of maturity in males is even less certain. In captivity one male showed no signs of sexual activity by 3-5 years of age. In the wild, males occasionally injure newborn foals while attempting to mate with their mothers.
Activity patterns. Tibetan Wild Asses move seasonally among habitats. They disperse in small groups into the hills during the summer in search of high-quality food. As harsh winter conditions set in, they return to basins and flatlands at lower elevations, often forming large concentrations. In the summer, they move daily from lower areas where they spend the night to higher elevations as daytime temperatures rise.
Movements, Home range and Social organization. Tibetan Wild Asses are typically found alone or in small groups. Aggregations of several hundred individuals occur, but these seem to be seasonally driven. During the summer, individuals disperse and scatter, but during winter groups coalesce. Tibetan Wild Ass groups are not cohesive. The only strong bond is between mothers and their foals. Adults come together for short periods and then disperse. Tibetan Wild Asses show the same fission-fusion social system as Asiatic Wild Asses ( E. hemionus ), African Wild Asses ( E. africanus ), and Grevy’s Zebras ( E. grevyi ). In this system lone males establish territories containing critical resources that females need. In the Ladakh region, territories are 0-5-5 km? in size. Young males unable to defend territories join all-male bachelor groups. Old males wander alone. Territorial males aggressively defend their territories. Ritualized displays involving a head-up, ears laid back, horizontaltail display are often accompanied by a wheezing bray. Long chases and contests involving rearing, kicking, and biting on the mane, neck, and tail occur when ritualized signals fail to determine dominance.
Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix II. Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. Current global population of the Tibetan Wild Ass is estimated at 60,000 -70,000 individuals, 90% of them in China. This Chinese population of approximately 56,000 -68,500 individuals is divided between Qinghai and Gansu (15,000), Xinjiang (4500-5500), and Xizang (37,000 -48,000). The population outside China is estimated at 1600-2145. Within this wide range, Tibetan Wild Ass distribution is fragmented, and currently most populations are found in protected areas or areas which are under armyjurisdiction.
Bibliography. Feng Zuojian (1991a, 1991b), Fox et al. (1991), Goldstein & Beall (1989), Groves & Mazak (1967), Harris & Miller (1995), Schaller (1998), Schaller & Gu (1994), Shah (2002), Shah et al. (2008), St. Louis & Coté (2009), Zhang Chieh (1984).
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