   the onager (equus hemionus) is a large member of the genus equus of the family equidae (horse family) native to the deserts of syria, iran, pakistan, india, israel (where it was reintroduced between 1982-1987), central asia, and mongolia. the kiang (e. kiang), a tibetan relative, was previously considered to be a subspecies of the onager as e. hemionus kiang, but recent molecular studies indicate that it is a distinct species. it is also known as the asiatic wild ass, asian wild ass, or wild asian ass (in which case the term "onager" is reserved for the e. h. onager subspecies, more specifically known as the persian onager). like many other large grazing animals, the onager's range has contracted greatly under the pressures of poaching and habitat loss. of the five subspecies, one is extinct and at least two are endangered (their status in china is not well known). the specific name is ancient greek á¼¡Î¼Î¯Î¿Î½Î¿Ï (hÄmÃ­onos), from á¼¡Î¼Î¹- (hÄmi-), half, and á½Î½Î¿Ï (Ã³nos), donkey; thus, half-donkey or mule. in persian the archaic word gur preserves the second syllable of the common indo-european term that includes ona/ono (donkey) and ger/gur (swift). onagers are a little larger than donkeys at about  and  (head-body length), and are a little more horse-like. they are
Animals_described_in_1775 EDGE_species Equus Fauna_of_Iran Fauna_of_Kazakhstan IUCN_Red_List_endangered_species Mammals_of_Asia Mammals_of_India Mammals_of_Pakistan Megafauna_of_Eurasia