kiang

Type of Asiatic wild ass that lives in cold (below −40°C/−40°F in winter), high altitude (above 4,000 m/23,280 ft) deserts. Kiangs may be subspecies of the Asiatic wild ass Equus hemionus, or different species E. kiang There are three varieties: southern, western, and eastern. All are endangered and until recently the southern kiang was believed to be extinct.

The southern kiang, found between Sikkim in northern India and the Tsangpo River in Tibet, has a shoulder height of 104–114 cm/41–45 in. Only about 100 remain. The western population, which ranges across Pakistan, India, and China, numbers around 1,500 in India; the eastern population is more numerous, with 10,000–30,000 in the protected Arjin Mountain Nature Reserves in China.