onager

onager

onager or Persian wild ass, wild ass of central Asia, Equus hemonius onager. One of the several races of Asian wild ass ( E. hemonius ), it formerly ranged widely across S Russia, Iran, and Afghanistan. A small, slenderly built animal, it stands about 4 ft (120 cm) high at the shoulder. Its back and legs are rusty brown and its belly white. It has a black tail tuft, a short, stiff black mane, and a black spinal stripe lined with white on either side. For many centuries it was hunted for sport by the Persian nobility, and young onagers were captured for the breeding of riding animals. Owing to the swiftness and endurance of the onager, relatively few animals were captured by traditional methods. However, since the invention of modern firearms and automobiles, the animals have been extensively slaughtered for their flesh and hides. They survive in Russia only on the Badkhys reserve and are greatly reduced in numbers elsewhere. The continued existence of the race is in doubt. The onager is classified in the phylum Chordata , subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Perissodactyla, family Equidae.

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"onager." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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onager

onager Fast-running animal related to the ass, found in semi-desert areas of Iran and India. The onager is dun-coloured with a dorsal stripe that reaches the tip of the tail. Height at the shoulder: 0.9–1.5m (2.9–4.9ft). Family Equidae; species Equus hemionus onager.

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"onager." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"onager." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-onager.html

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onager

on·a·ger / ˈänəjər/ • n. an animal of a race of the Asian wild ass (Equus hemionus onager) native to northern Iran.

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"onager." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"onager." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-onager.html

"onager." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-onager.html

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onager

onager wild ass. XIV (afterwards not before XVIII). — L. — Gr. ónagros for ónos ágrios (ónos ass, ágrios wild).

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T. F. HOAD. "onager." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "onager." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-onager.html

T. F. HOAD. "onager." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-onager.html

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onager

onagerbludger, grudger, nudger, trudger •indulger •blunger, conjure, expunger, plunger, sponger •astrologer, mythologer •tanager • onager • massager • potager •merger, perjure, purger, scourger, urger, verdure, verger

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"onager." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"onager." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-onager.html

"onager." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-onager.html

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

Persian onager born in VA.(Culture: From then to now)
Newspaper article from: Iran Times International (Washington, DC); 9/23/2011
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onager. (Image by Tiarescott, GFDL)