
Photo: Faiyaz Hawawala · CC BY-SA 3.0 (May be cropped or resized)
Equus hemionus
Diet
Grasses, shrubs, and other desert vegetation
Habitat
Desert, semi-desert, and dry steppe
Range
Central and western Asia, including Mongolia
The onager is a wild ass native to Asia, with a pale sandy to reddish coat, white underparts, short upright dark mane, and a dark stripe along the back. It is more lightly built than a horse, with long legs and relatively large ears. In Mongolia, these animals are commonly called khulan and are treated as the Mongolian form of Equus hemionus. (Wikipedia, general species account)
Onagers occupy desert, semi-desert, and dry steppe, feeding on grasses, shrubs, and other sparse vegetation and travelling widely between forage and water across open country. Social structure is flexible, with temporary groups forming and separating. Mongolia holds extensive khulan habitat in the southern Gobi, including Great Gobi B and surrounding landscapes. Long-distance movements mean sightings vary with season and changing local water conditions and grazing patterns. (Wikipedia, general species account; Wildlife Conservation Society Mongolia)