西藏野驴种

亚种

• 西藏野驴共有三个亚种：
• 西部亚种 Equus kiang kiang
• 东部亚种 Equus kiang holdereri
• 南部亚种 Equus kiang polyodon

保育状况

其被列为《濒危野生动植物种国际贸易公约》附录二的物种，被限制出口及贸易。

The kiang (Equus kiang) is the largest species of the Asinus subgenus. It is native to the Tibetan Plateau in Ladakh India, northern Pakistan, China and northern Nepal. It inhabits montane grasslands and shrublands. Other common names for this species include Tibetan wild ass, khyang and gorkhar.

Description

The kiang is the largest of the wild asses, with an average height at the withers of 140 cm (55 in). They range from 132 to 142 cm (52 to 56 in) high at the withers, with a body 182 to 214 cm (72 to 84 in) long, and a tail of 32 to 45 cm (13 to 18 in). Kiangs have only slight sexual dimorphism, with the males weighing from 350 to 400 kg (770 to 880 lb), while females weigh 250 to 300 kg (550 to 660 lb). They have a large head, with a blunt muzzle and a convex nose. The mane is upright and relatively short.

Genomics

Results of a chromosome-level genome study indicate that expanded gene families and positively selected genes in the kiang were mainly associated with hypoxia response, as well as metabolism and immunity, consistent with adaptation to high-elevation environments.

A telomere-to-telomere chromosome-level genome assembly of the kiang published in 2026 is approximately 2.48 Gb, with 96.85% of the sequence anchored to 27 pseudochromosomes. This assembly has a BUSCO completeness of 96.3% and contains 20,654 predicted protein-coding genes.

Evolution

The genus Equus, which includes all extant equines, is believed to have evolved from Dinohippus, via the intermediate form Plesippus. One of the oldest species is Equus simplicidens, described as zebra-like with a donkey-shaped head. The oldest fossil to date is about 3.5 million years old from Idaho, US. The genus appears to have spread quickly into the Old World, with the similarly aged Equus livenzovensis documented from western Europe and Russia.

Molecular phylogenies indicate the most recent common ancestor of all modern equids lived about 3.9 to 7.8 million years ago.

Taxonomy

The kiang is closely related to the onager (Equus hemionus), and in some classifications it is considered a subspecies, E. hemionus kiang. Molecular studies indicate that the kiang is nested deeply within the extant radiation of E. hemionus. Based on a 1967 morphological study the two are considered separate species by the IUCN as of 2026.

Kiangs can crossbreed with onagers, horses, donkeys, and Burchell's zebras in captivity, although, like mules, the resulting offspring are sterile. Kiangs have never been domesticated.

Distribution and habitat

The kiang is distributed in the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau from northern Pakistan, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand states of India to Qinghai, Gansu, southern Xinjiang and Sichuan regions of China.

It inhabits alpine meadows and steppe country at elevations from 2,700 to 5,300 m (8,900 to 17,400 ft), preferring relatively flat plateaus, wide valleys, and low hills, dominated by grasses, sedges, and other short vegetation.

In Pakistan, the kiang occurs in the area between the Oprang river and the Shaksgam River with its presence confirmed in Khunjerab National Park.

Behavior and ecology

The kiang is a herbivore, feeding on grasses and sedges, especially Stipa, but also on other plants such as bog sedges, true sedges, and meadow grasses. When little grass is available, such as during winter or in the more arid margins of their native habitat, kiangs have been observed eating shrubs, herbs, and even Oxytropis roots dug from the ground. Although they do sometimes drink from waterholes, such sources of water are rare on the Tibetan Plateau, and they likely obtain most of their water from the plants they eat, or possibly from snow in winter.

In culture

Natural historian Chris Lavers points to travellers' tales of the kiang as one source of inspiration for the unicorn, first described in Indika by the Ancient Greek physician Ctesias.

Ekai Kawaguchi, a Japanese monk who traveled in Tibet from July, 1900 to June 1902, reported:

As I have already said, khyang is the name given by the Tibetans to the wild horse of their northern steppes. More accurately it is a species of ass, quite as large in size as a large Japanese horse. In color it is reddish brown, with black hair on the ridge of the back and black mane and with the belly white.