Donkey Donkey The donkey or ass ("Equus africanus asinus") is a domesticated member of the horse family, Equidae. The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African wild ass, "E. africanus". The donkey has been used as a working animal for at least 5000 years. There are more than 40 million donkeys in the world, mostly in underdeveloped countries, where they are used principally as draught or pack animals. Working donkeys are often associated with those living at or below subsistence levels. Small numbers of donkeys are kept for breeding or as pets in developed countries. A male donkey or ass
Equus conversidens New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas and Florida, synonymizing "Equus francisci", "Equus tau", "E. littoralis", "E. achates", and "E. barcenaei" with "E. conversidens". However, Winans (1985) and MacFadden (1992) challenged the validity of "E. conversidens" due to its minimal diagnostic value, and treated "E. francisci" as valid. Subsequent study confirmed the "nomen dubium" status of "E. conversidens" because the holotype was undiagnostic besides its small size. Equus conversidens Equus conversidens (Owen 1869), or the Mexican horse, is a dubious Pleistocene species of horse, now extinct, that inhabited North America. The holotype of "Equus conversidens", a partial palate, was unearthed in Pleistocene deposits