Equus kiang (Perissodactyla: Equidae)

Abstract Equus kiang Moorcroft, 1841, is an equid commonly called the kiang or Tibetan wild ass and is the only equid living on the Tibetan Plateau. It is the largest of the wild asses, with a distinct dark-brown coat on the back, and 1 of the 7 species of Equus. It is endemic to the high-elevation rangelands of China (Tibet, Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu), India (Ladakh and Sikkim), Pakistan (Khunjerab National Park), and Nepal (Mustang). It inhabits open steppes and rolling hills sparsely vegetated with grasses and sedges. E. kiang is vulnerable to illegal poaching and competition with domestic livestock, and data are insufficient to accurately estimate its total abundance.