African Wild Ass

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, making it the most threatened species of the family.