Mongolian wild donkeys of wild animals are 1, morphological characteristics 2, habitat environment 3, living habits 4, distribution range 5, breeding method 6, population status 7, protection level

Mongolian wild donkey (scientific name: equus hemionus): mule-like shape, between the size of the domestic donkey and the domestic horse, the body length can reach 260 cm, the shoulder height is about 120 cm, the tail length is about 80 cm, and the weight is about 250 kg. The snout is slightly elongated and the ears are long and pointed. The tail is slender, with long tip hairs, brownish yellow. The back of the neck has a short mane, the dorsal side, shoulders, and back of the neck are light yellowish brown, there is a tan dorsal line in the center of the back extending to the base of the tail, and the neck, thorax, body side, and abdomen are yellowish-white, and there is no obvious dividing line with the dorsal coat color.

Typical desert animals, mostly inhabiting the plateau subarctic zone at an altitude of 3000-5000 meters. Camp wanders around life, resistant to thirst, and mainly eats snow in winter to quench thirst. The call was like a house donkey, but short and hoarse. In August and September, mating in heat, the male donkeys compete fiercely for females, and the winner has the right to mate. The Mongolian wild ass has great endurance, both cold and heat, hunger and thirst, and has a keen sense of sight, hearing and smell. Due to "curiosity", they often follow the hunters, looking back and forth, and the bold will run to the tent to spy, giving the poachers an opportunity to take advantage of the opportunity, and are hunted in large numbers.

It is distributed in Central and Western Asian countries, and China is distributed in Inner Mongolia, Gansu and Xinjiang. For China's first-class protection, iUCN endangered, cites Appendix I.

Mongolian wild donkey

The Mongolian wild ass is a large ungulate. It resembles a mule, with a body length of up to 260 cm, a shoulder height of about 120 cm, a tail length of about 80 cm, and a weight of about 250 kg. The snout is slightly elongated and the ears are long and pointed. The tail is slender, with long tip hairs, brownish yellow. The limbs are strong and powerful, and the hooves are smaller than horses but slightly larger than those of the domestic donkey. The back of the neck has a short mane, the dorsal side, shoulders, and back of the neck are light yellowish brown, there is a tan dorsal line in the center of the back extending to the base of the tail, and the neck, thorax, body side, and abdomen are yellowish-white, and there is no obvious dividing line with the dorsal coat color.

It lives in desert or semi-desert areas, and mostly inhabits the subarctic plateau at an altitude of 3000-5000 meters. In summer, it lives on the high mountains at an altitude of more than 5,000 meters, and in winter, it goes to lower altitudes. It is a typical desert animal.

1. Migration

Mongolian wild donkeys have the habit of migrating short distances with the seasons. Usually, the activities are very regular, drinking water at the water source in the early morning, collecting food and resting in the grassland during the day, and returning to the deep mountains in the evening for the night. You have to wander tens of kilometers every day. Where wild donkeys are often active, the uninsured Mongolian wild donkeys like to line up in columns and fish as they move. In the pasture and near the water source, it is often walked along a fixed route, leaving a unique "donkey path" on the grass. The donkey path is about 20 cm wide and stretches out in all directions.

2. Cluster

Mongolian wild donkeys have a habit of moving in groups, and females, males and young donkeys live wandering together all year round. 5-8 heads or 20-30 heads per group. In the summer, where the water and grass conditions are good and there is little human interference, the Mongolian wild donkey group will be very large. The mongolian wild donkey herds that live on the edge of Lake Ishakpati in Xinjiang's Arjin Mountain Nature Reserve often range in large groups from more than 100 to more than 200 individuals. In the Area of the Halten Basin at the northern edge of the Qaidam Basin, small groups of 3-5 heads usually move, and individual wild donkeys that move alone are also common.

3. Habits

Wild donkeys are good at running, running at speeds of up to 45 kilometers per hour, and even wolves can't catch up with them. Good cluster life, high vigilance. Camp wandering life. The call was like a house donkey, but short and hoarse. The Mongolian wild donkey has a strong endurance, which can withstand both cold and heat, hunger and thirst, and has a keen sense of sight, hearing and smell, and can detect situations hundreds of meters away from themselves. If you notice someone approaching or attacking, first quietly look up, stare for a moment, and then sprint with your hooves raised. After running a certain distance, I felt safe, stopped standing and watching, and then ran again. Always run and stop, look at it and then run.

The Mongolian wild donkey has a sentinel donkey, which is extremely vigilant and loyal to its duties. When it is close to its 500-600 meters, it begins to slowly run people to walk it runs, running and stopping, always maintaining a distance of 500-600 meters from people, and finally it lures people to walk in the opposite direction of the donkey group to ensure the safety of the donkey group. The donkey group is usually a group of more than 20-200 people, and in the event of a crisis, the head donkey in the donkey group will flee with the other members in a "one" shape, which is very spectacular.

4. Eating habits

Mongolian wild donkeys are extremely drought tolerant and can go days without drinking water. In winter, it mainly eats snow to quench thirst. Feeds on grasses, sedges and lily grasses. Prefers to eat thatch, moss and artemisia. In the arid environment, you will find a suitable place to dig out water with hoof planing pits to drink, and you can also provide water for ungulates such as Tibetan antelopes. When there is a drought and water shortage, the clever Mongolian wild donkey will choose a place with a high groundwater level in the bend to "dig a well". They use their hooves to plan large puddles about half a meter deep on the beach, which local herders call "donkey wells".

It is found in China, India, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mongolia and Turkmenistan.

Regional extinctions: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Russian Federation, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan and Turkey.

Occasional entry: Israel, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan.

In August and September, mating in heat, the male donkeys compete fiercely for females, and the winner has the right to mate. The gestation period is about 11 months, 1 litter per litter. Every year from August to September, the Mongolian wild donkey enters the breeding and mating period, at which time, the male donkey becomes very fierce, frequently hissing. They often have fierce bites for mating rights. The victorious male wild donkey controls the movement of the entire donkey herd, and if the donkey disobeys, he kicks and bites at it. The Mongolian wild donkey takes good care of the cubs, and once saw a group of wild donkeys crossing the river, a small donkey could not climb the riverbank, two large wild donkeys put it in the middle, with the shoulder to push the small wild donkey ashore interesting behavior.

Thanks to proper conservation measures, the population of wild donkeys has increased year by year, with nearly 60,000 in Changtang alone. It is estimated that the number of Wild Asses in Mongolia was around 56,000 in 1989, and the total in 1998 was close to 80,000. In addition, according to WWF survey statistics, there are large herds of wild donkeys in the northern part of Aliqab Township and the local area northwest of Nima County, some of which number more than 500. When the Kalamaili Hills Nature Reserve was established in 1982, only about 450 remained. After 20 years of protection, the number is about 4,000 as of 2013. Due to the climate changes in the geological and historical period, the direct hunting of human beings and the change of the living environment of wild donkeys, the distribution area of Mongolian wild donkeys has been reduced to the northwest region and along the Mongolian border. As of 2013, the number of Chinese is no more than 2,000. However, 641 Mongolian wild donkeys were found in the northern part of the Bayannur League, and the calculation estimated that there were about 11,400 in the activity area, which indicates that the total number of Mongolian wild donkeys in the world is far more than 6500.

Experts speculate that the reasons for the influx of Mongolian wild donkeys into China may be:

(1) This area is the original distribution area of the Mongolian wild donkey, and the influx of wild donkeys into China is a natural return.

(2) Mongolia's environmental conditions are suitable, and the wild donkey population has grown, exceeding the environmental capacity.

(3) Mongolia has less rainfall, poor grassland development, and lack of water resources, while the Chinese Bameng region has more rainfall.

Mongolian wild donkeys are precious ungulates, to protect this population, we must first protect the living environment of Mongolian wild donkeys, and establish Mongolian wild donkey nature reserves. It can be carried out in two roughly two steps: the first step is to expand the Sosolin Reserve in Urat Houqi by 400 square kilometers to form a Mongolian Wild Donkey Sosolin Nature Reserve. The second step is to cooperate with Mongolia to establish transnational protected areas. Mongolian wild asses may have the characteristics of long-distance migration, and the establishment of transnational protected areas will better protect this species and can seek international conservation funds.

Listed in the level of animals under national key protection in China: level 1;

Listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2012 ver3.1 – Endangered;

Listed as a classified animal under the Washington Convention citesI.

Listed in the Red Book of China e Endangered: Endangered.