Somali Wild Ass (Equus asinus somalicus) Ethiopia and Somalia
Number of Young: The Somali wild ass is a subspecies of the
African wild ass, which used to be distributed right across
northern Africa. One subspecies is now extinct and the remaining
two, the Nubian and Somali wild ass, are critically endangered.
The Somali wild ass is now restricted to parts of the Danakil
Desert in Ethiopia and the Las ‘Anod region of Somalia. It is an
extremely hardly breed, surviving on desert plains and rough
mountain terrain, where water is scarce and the only food may be
thorny bushes and tough grass. The Somali wild ass is also very
agile and nimble-footed, capable of moving quickly across
boulder fields and in the mountains. In keeping with these
feats, its soles are particularly hard and its hooves grow very
quickly. The Somali wild ass is usually found in small herds of
less than 5, led by a senior mare, but these groups are not
permanent and individuals come and go. Breeding stallions defend
large territories (up to 2