With the alias of Wild Ass, it belongs to
the Eqiodae family of Perissodactyla order. Its scientific name is Equus kiang
(Latin), or Kiang (English).
It is a large-sized ungulate animal, in a
shape similar to Mongolian Wild Ass. Its cervical back, shoulders, and back are
yellowish brown, turning to light brown or tan in winter, while the cervical
ventral part, chest, body sides and abdomen are all white, obviously differing
from the hair color of the back.
Kiang lives in high and cold desert areas.
In summer it moves to high mountains at an elevation of more than 5,000 meters,
and in winter places at lower elevation. It is highly alert by nature, fond of
group life and good at running. It mainly feeds on couch grass, carex and
wormwood genus. In dry environment it can find appropriate places to plane pits
with hoof and dig out water for drinking, also offering water for chiru and
other ungulate.
It is distributed in Tibet Autonomous
Region, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Gansu, Qinghai, and Sichuan
provinces.