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Donkey
Donkey Facts
| Kingdom: Five groups that classify all living things | Animalia |
| Phylum: A group of animals within the animal kingdom | Chordata |
| Class: A group of animals within a pylum | Mammalia |
| Order: A group of animals within a class | Perissodactyla |
| Family: A group of animals within an order | Equidae |
| Genus: A group of animals within a family | Equus |
| Scientific Name: The name of the animal in science | Equus Asinus |
| Type: The animal group that the species belongs to | Mammal |
| Diet: What kind of foods the animal eats | Herbivore |
| Size (H): How long (L) or tall (H) the animal is | 90cm - 130cm (35in - 51in) |
| Weight: The measurement of how heavy the animal is | 200kg - 258kg (441lbs - 570lbs) |
| Top Speed: The fastest recorded speed of the animal | 24km/h (15mph) |
| Lifespan: How long the animal lives for | 15 - 30 years |
| Lifestyle: Whether the animal is solitary or sociable | Herd |
| Conservation Status: The likelihood of the animal becoming extinct | Threatened |
| Colour: The colour of the animal's coat or markings | Grey, Brown, Black |
| Skin Type: The protective layer of the animal | Fur |
| Favourite Food: The preferred food of this animal | Grass |
| Habitat: The specific area where the animal lives | Arid forests and deserts |
| Average Litter Size: The average number of babies born at once | 1 |
| Main Prey: The food that the animal gains energy from | Grass, Weeds, Vegetables |
| Predators: Other animals that hunt and eat the animal | Fox, Wolf, Lion |
| Distinctive Features: Characteristics unique to this animal | Stocky body and hee-haw sounds |
Donkey Location
Donkey
Donkeys were supposedly domesticated around 5000 years ago in the north east of Africa from the Somali wild ass. The domestication if donkeys soon spread across the globe, with people mainly using the donkeys to help carry heavy loads and transport goods long distances. They are anatomically normal and show normal breeding behaviour, so hybrids should be gelded as early as possible to avoid studdy behaviour.
The majority of donkeys today still do the same burdening tasks that the donkeys did thousands of years ago, in a similar way to the pack-mules in the Asian mountains that transport burdening goods through the mountain passes.
Despite the obvious similarities between a donkey and a horse, a donkey-horse offspring (mule) will always be infertile, due to a genetic malfunction that occurs when two different species mate. This is also the case when different species of asses interbreed, such as the onager and the Somali wild ass. Even though they are in the same genus taxonomically, the hybrid offspring of two species of ass will have sterile offspring.
Wild donkeys have adapted to living in near desert environments and because of this, donkeys have very hardy immune and digestive systems. This allows the donkey to be able to process and gain nutrition from vegetation that many other species of animal have great difficulty gaining any nutrition from.
There are thought to be more than 44 million donkeys found throughout the world, with around 11 million of these donkeys found in China. Scientists believe that the real number of donkeys could be much higher than this as many donkeys go unaccounted for.
Donkeys are said to have a relatively stubborn temperament but once the owner of the donkey has gained the donkeys trust, the donkey is extremely loyal and a good friend. Donkeys are not truly stubborn; they are very good at taking care of themselves. Their self preservation instincts are strong. They will refuse to proceed if they sense danger or if they are overburdened. They pass this valuable trait on to the mule. Donkeys are also thought to have a calming effect over distressed horses and donkeys are often put into fields with horses as they make great companions for them.
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Are you Safe?Donkey Translations
Магаре
Ase
Osel africký
Donkey
Azeno
Burro
Aasi
Âne
Magarac
Asino / Somaro / Ciuco
ロバ
Ezel
Osioł domowy
Asno,Burro
Măgar
Eşek
驴
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First Published: 10th November 2008, Last Updated: 7th November 2019
1. David Burnie, Dorling Kindersley (2008) Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Animals [Accessed at: 10 Nov 2008]
2. David Burnie, Kingfisher (2011) The Kingfisher Animal Encyclopedia [Accessed at: 01 Jan 2011]
3. David W. Macdonald, Oxford University Press (2010) The Encyclopedia Of Mammals [Accessed at: 01 Jan 2010]
4. Dorling Kindersley (2006) Dorling Kindersley Encyclopedia Of Animals [Accessed at: 10 Nov 2008]
5. Richard Mackay, University of California Press (2009) The Atlas Of Endangered Species [Accessed at: 01 Jan 2009]
6. Tom Jackson, Lorenz Books (2007) The World Encyclopedia Of Animals [Accessed at: 10 Nov 2008]
"I love donkeys"
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