African wild ass
African wild ass | |
---|---|
Somali wild ass subspecies (Equus africanus somaliensis) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Perissodactyla |
Family: | Equidae |
Genus: | Equus |
Subgenus: | Asinus |
Species: | E. africanus |
Binomial name | |
Equus africanus (von Heuglin & Fitzinger, 1866) | |
Subspecies | |
E. a. africanus | |
Geographic range |
The African wild ass (Equus africanus) or African wild donkey is a wild member of the horse family, Equidae. This species is thought to be the ancestor of the domestic donkey (Equus asinus), which is sometimes placed within the same species. They live in the deserts and other arid areas of the Horn of Africa, in Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia. It formerly had a wider range north and west into Sudan, Egypt, and Libya. It is Critically Endangered, with about 570 existing in the wild.
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