Open main menu
Home
Random
Recent changes
Special pages
Community portal
Preferences
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Incubator escapee wiki
Search
User menu
Talk
Dark mode
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Editing
Onager
(section)
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
==Biology and behavior== {{refimprove section|date=January 2022}} Asiatic wild asses are mostly active at dawn and dusk, even during the intense heat. ===Social structure=== [[File:6Kulane.jpg|thumb|right|A group of onagers]] [[File:Indian wild Equus hemionus khur (440571528).jpg|thumb|right|A group of khurs]] Like most equids, onagers are social animals. [[Stallion]]s are either solitary or live in groups of two or three. The males have been observed holding [[Harem (zoology)|harem]]s of females, but in other studies, the dominant stallions defend territories that attract females. Differences in behaviour and social structure likely are the result of changes in climate, vegetation cover, predation, and hunting. The social behavior of the Asian wild ass can vary widely, depending on different habitats and ranges, and on threats by predators including humans. In [[Mongolia]] and [[Central Asia]] (''E. h. hemionus'' and ''E. h. kulan''), an onager stallion can adopt harem-type social groups, with several mares and foals in large home areas in the southwest, or in territory-based social groups in the south and southeast. Also, annual large hikes occur, covering {{cvt|4.5|km2|sqmi}} to {{cvt|40|km2|sqmi}}, where hiking{{clarify|date=January 2022}} in summer is more limited than in the winter. Onagers also occasionally form large group associations of 450 to 1,200 individuals, but this usually only occurs in places with food or water sources. As these larger groups dissolve again within a day, no overarching hierarchy apart from the ranking of the individual herds seems to exist. Young male onagers also frequently form "bachelor groups" during the winter. Such a lifestyle is also seen in the wild horse, the [[plains zebra]]s (''E. quagga'') and [[mountain zebra]]s (''E. zebra'').<!-- [does not make sense:] However, occasional formation of temporary territories can be defended in an aggressive way. --> Southern populations of onagers in the Middle East and South Asia tend to have a purely territorial life, where areas partly overlap. Dominant stallions have home ranges of {{cvt|9|km2|sqmi}}, but they can also be significantly larger. These territories include food and rest stops and permanent or periodic water sources. The waters are usually at the edge of a coalfield{{what|date=January 2022}} and not in the center.<!-- [does not make sense:] Frequently committed paths with [[feces]] and marked [[urine]], where often the same marker points are used. --> Mares with foals sometimes find themselves in small groups, in areas up to {{cvt|20|km2|sqmi}}, which overlap with those of the other groups and dominant stallions. Such features are also seen among GrΓ©vy's zebras (''E. grevyi'') and the African wild asses. ===Reproduction=== {{Unreferenced section|date=October 2024}} The Asian wild ass is sexually mature at two years old, and the first mating usually takes place at three to four years old. Breeding is seasonal, and the [[gestation]] period of onagers is 11 months; the birth lasts a little more than 10 minutes. Mating and births occur from April to September, with an accumulation from June to July. The mating season in India is in the rainy season. The foal can stand and starts to nurse within 15 to 20 minutes<!--[does not make sense:] after the latest one and a half hours -->. Females with young tend to form groups of up to five females. During rearing, a foal and dam remain close, but other animals and her own older offspring are displaced by the dam. Occasionally, stallions in territorial wild populations expel the young to mate with the mare again. Wild Asian wild asses reach an age of 14 years, but in captivity, they can live up to 26 years. ===Diet=== [[File:IndianWildAss (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|Indian wild ass herd feeding on grass]] {{Unreferenced section|date=October 2024}} The onager is a [[herbivore]] and eats grasses, herbs, leaves, fruits, and saline vegetation when available. In dry habitats, it browses on shrubs and trees, but also feeds on seed pods such as ''[[Prosopis]]'' and breaks up woody vegetation with its hooves to get at more succulent herbs growing at the base of woody plants. The succulent plants of the [[Zygophyllaceae]] form an important component of its diet in Mongolia during spring and summer When natural water sources are unavailable, the onager digs holes in dry riverbeds to reach subsurface water. ===Predation=== [[File:Getty Villa - Collection (5304807899).jpg|thumb|An Asiatic lion attacking an onager (Roman, {{c.|AD 150}})]] The onager is preyed upon by predators such as [[Persian leopard]]s and [[striped hyena]]s. A few cases of onager deaths due to predation by leopards have been recorded in Iran.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Prey composition in the Persian leopard distribution range in Iran |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258220097 |author=Sanei, A., Zakaria, M., Hermidas, S. |year=2011 |journal=Asia Life Sciences Supplement 7 (1) |page=19β30}}</ref>
Edit summary
(Briefly describe your changes)
By publishing changes, you agree to the
Terms of Use
, and you irrevocably agree to release your contribution under the
CC BY-SA 4.0 License
and the
GFDL
. You agree that a hyperlink or URL is sufficient attribution under the Creative Commons license.
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)