Wildlifeof China
Kiang
Bats
Photo: P Jeganathan · CC-BY
Equus kiang
Basic stats
Diet
Grasses, forbs, and other short vegetation
Habitat
Dry alpine grassland, steppe, semidesert, and desert
Range
Tibet and adjoining parts of China, India, and Nepal; 4,000–7,000 m elevation
Litter size
1 foal
Gestation period
Approximately 12 months
Size
Approximately 210 cm long; shoulder height about 140 cm
Weight
250–440 kg
The kiang is the world’s largest wild ass, standing about 140 cm at the shoulder and measuring roughly 210 cm in body length. Its relatively short ears and large tail tuft give it a somewhat horselike appearance. The coat changes seasonally, becoming short and reddish during summer and long, thick, and dark brown during winter. Adults weigh approximately 250–440 kg, and males and females are broadly similar in outward appearance. (Animal Diversity Web)
Kiangs inhabit dry alpine grassland, steppe, semidesert, and desert across Tibet and adjoining parts of China, India, and Nepal, principally at 4,000–7,000 m. They feed on grasses, forbs, and other short vegetation and may travel long distances to locate forage. Herds range from small family parties to aggregations of several hundred led by an older female. A single foal is born after a gestation lasting almost one year. (Animal Diversity Web)
Quick answers
- What does the Kiang eat?
- Grasses, forbs, and other short vegetation
- What habitat does the Kiang live in?
- Dry alpine grassland, steppe, semidesert, and desert
- Where is the Kiang found?
- Tibet and adjoining parts of China, India, and Nepal; 4,000–7,000 m elevation
- What is the litter size of the Kiang?
- 1 foal
- How long is the gestation period of the Kiang?
- Approximately 12 months
- How big is the Kiang?
- Approximately 210 cm long; shoulder height about 140 cm
- How much does the Kiang weigh?
- 250–440 kg