Atlas Wild Ass

Equus africanus atlanticus
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Perissodactyla
Family: Equidae
Genus: Equus
Species: E. africanus
Subspecies: †E. a. atlanticus

The Atlas Wild Ass (Equus africanus atlanticus), also known as Algerian Wild Ass is an extinct animal. It was last shown in a villa mural in AD 300 in Bona, Algeria, and went extinct after Roman sport hunting.

Contents

Taxonomy

Fossils have been found in a number of rock shelters across Morroco and Algeria by paleontologists including Alfred Romer (1928, 1935) and Camille Arambourg (1931).[1]

Description

Based on ancient drawings, the Atlas Wild Ass had stripes on its legs as well as a shoulder cross.[2]

Range and ecology

The Atlas Wild Ass was found in the region around the Atlas Mountains, across modern day Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco.[3]

References

  1. ^ Denham, Tim; Irarte, José; Vrydaghs, Luc (2007). Rethinking Agriculture: Archaeological and Ethnoarchaeological Perspectives. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press. p. 383. ISBN 9781598742602. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=fWm6FYXp50wC&pg=PA383&dq=%22Atlas+Wild+Ass%22&hl=en&ei=F7RnTufZM9HsOdLlxccL&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=%22Atlas%20Wild%20Ass%22&f=false. 
  2. ^ Hemmer, Helmut (1990). Domestication: the decline of environmental appreciation. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 55. ISBN 9780521341783. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=HTZRRwjwP3AC&pg=PA55&dq=%22Atlas+Wild+Ass%22&hl=en&ei=F7RnTufZM9HsOdLlxccL&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CD4Q6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=%22Atlas%20Wild%20Ass%22&f=false. 
  3. ^ Des Roses Moehlman, Patricia (2002). Equids: zebras, asses, and horses : status survey and conservation action plan. Cambridge: IUCN. p. 2. ISBN 9782831706474. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=8Bj4q83ry1QC&pg=PA2&dq=%22Atlas+Wild+Ass%22&hl=en&ei=F7RnTufZM9HsOdLlxccL&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCsQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22Atlas%20Wild%20Ass%22&f=false. 

External links