The African Wild Ass (Equus africanus) is a wild member of the horse family, Equidae. This species is believed to be the ancestor of the domestic donkey which is usually placed within the same species. They live in the deserts and other arid areas of northeastern Africa, in Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia; it formerly had a wider range north and west into Sudan, Egypt and Libya.

About 570 individuals exist in the wild. Different authors consider the African Wild Ass and the domesticated Donkey one or two species; either view is technically legitimate, though the former is phylogenetically more accurate. The species name for the African Wild Ass is sometimes given as asinus, from the domestic donkey whose specific name is older and usually would have priority.

But this usage is erroneous since the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature has conserved the name Equus africanus in Opinion 2027. This was done to prevent the confusing situation of the phylogenetic ancestor being taxonomically included in its descendant.

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