The African wild ass or Nubian wild ass is a wild member of the horse family, and currently, about 570 individuals exist in the wild.

This subspecies is believed to be the ancestor of the domestic donkey, both of which are considered to be the same species.

The African wild ass is 6.6 feet long and stands 4 ft 1 inches to 4 ft 9 inches tall which is about 12 to 14 hands tall at the shoulders. The wild ass has a tail of about 12 to 20 inches long. This animal weighs between 510 and 610 pounds.

The short, smooth coat is a light grey to fawn color, but fades quickly to white on the undersides and legs. On the nape of the neck, there is a stiff, upright mane, the hairs of which are tipped with black. The ears are large with black margins. The tail terminates with a black brush. The hooves are slender and approximately of the diameter as the legs.

The Nubian wild ass lives 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.