The Nubian wild ass (Equus africanus africanus ) is the nominate subspecies of African wild ass, and one of the ancestors of the domestic donkey, which was domesticated about 6,000 years ago. It is presumed to be extinct, though two populations potentially survive on the Caribbean island of Bonaire and in Gebel Elba.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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CrepuscularCrepuscular animals are those that are active primarily during twilight (that is, the periods of dawn and dusk). This is distinguished from diurnal...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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ViviparousAmong animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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CursorialA cursorial organism is one that is adapted specifically to run. An animal can be considered cursorial if it has the ability to run fast (e.g. chee...
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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
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HerdingA herd is a social grouping of certain animals of the same species, either wild or domestic. The form of collective animal behavior associated with...
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Dominance hierarchyA dominance hierarchy (formerly and colloquially called a pecking order) is a type of social hierarchy that arises when members of animal social gr...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withAccording to Groves & Chubb, Nubian wild asses had longer ears than the Somali wild ass, ranging from 182-245mm in length. These animals also possessed the "cross-pattern" famous in domestic donkeys but absent in the Somali subspecies, and lacked the "zebra-stripe-pattern" on the legs as found in Somali specimens.
Nubian wild asses lived in the Nubian Desert of northeastern Sudan; there they ranged from east of the Nile River to the Red Sea and south to the Atbarah River and northern Eritrea.
Little is known about the habits and lifestyle of Nubian wild asses. In general, African wild asses are usually active in the cooler hours between late afternoon and early morning, seeking shade and shelter during the day. Females live in herds. Mature males have large territories, which they defend by marking them with dung heaps. Due to the size of these ranges, the dominant male cannot exclude other males. Rather, intruders are tolerated - recognized and treated as subordinates and kept as far away as possible from any of the resident females. 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.
Wild asses are herbivores. Their diet consists of grasses, bark, and leaves. Although they are adapted to living in an arid climate, they are dependent on water, and when not receiving the needed moisture from vegetation, they must drink at least once every three days. However, they can survive on a surprisingly small amount of liquid and have been reported to drink salty or brackish water.
In the wild, African wild asses breed during the wet season. The gestation period lasts between 11 and 12 months, and females give birth to only one foal. The young is typically weaned 6 to 8 months after birth and reaches reproductive maturity at the age of 2 years.
The Nubian wild ass has not been seen since the 1950s-70s and is presumed extinct. The last sighting of wild asses in the animal's native range was in the 1970s, in Eritrea's Barka Valley and the border between Eritrea and Sudan, during aerial flights. The Nubian wild ass's extinction can largely be attributed to hunting, competition with livestock for limited desert resources, and hybridization with the Domestic donkey. The Gebel Elba National Park, near the border of Egypt and Sudan, is claimed to be home to a wild population of Nubian wild asses. However, the purity of the animals in question has yet to be studied.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Nubia wild ass total population size. Listed as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red list as a whole the African wild ass species numbers (at best approximately 200 mature individuals), and no subpopulation numbers in excess of 50 mature individuals.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...