Volume 31, Plate XVIII / Mammalia (Mammals)

Onager, Koulan, or Wild Ass

Asinus onager

About twelve and a half hands at the shoulder and over seven feet long, the Koulan has a large arched-fronted head, long erect ears, slender maned neck, sharp back, and fine limbs with narrow hoofs; its silvery grey coat passes to pale Isabella on head and haunches, with dark spinal line and shoulder cross. Inhabiting the dry mountains of Great Tahtary and Persia, it herds under a leader, ascends precipices, and pauses in flight to watch pursuers.