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 lambei horse, not an ass. The closest resemblance to "E." "lambei" is shown by the Mongolian horse, "E. caballus przewalskii", now believed to be extinct in the wild. In size and proportions, "E. lambei" resembles "E. caballus przewalskii". Among living horses, perhaps the Yukon horse most closely resembles the Przewalski's horse ("Equus caballus przewalskii") from Mongolia . The upper foot bones (metapodials) of "Equus lambei" are slender compared to Przewalski's horse. The bones of "E. lambei" also closely resemble the proximal phalanges of "E. caballus lenensis", an extinct species from the late Pleistocene of Siberia . Along with steppe bison ("Bison