Donkey

“Donkey” is also used as a swear word in the sense of “fool”. A “mnemonic” is a phrase or word intended to help you remember or understand something.

Characteristics

What do donkeys look like?

Donkeys belong to the horse family and look a bit like an undersized horses with oversized head and ears. They have a short, upright mane, are often gray in color, and have a dark line down their backs; some also have stripes on their legs. They are usually lighter around the eyes and muzzle – just like on the stomach.

Unlike the horse, the tail does not have a tail of long hair, but only a short tassel. Donkeys are divided into different groups according to their shoulder height:

Miniature donkeys are only 80 to 105 centimeters high, normal donkeys are up to 135 centimeters tall, and giant donkeys are larger than 135 centimeters. Their weight also varies accordingly: They can weigh between 80 and 450 kilograms.

Where do donkeys live?

Domestic donkeys are descended from the Nubian wild ass, the North African wild ass, and the Somali wild ass. They all lived in different parts of North Africa. The Nubian and North African wild ass is now considered extinct. A few hundred Somali wild asses are said to still be living in northeast Africa (Somalia and Ethiopia).

The home of the wild donkey is a barren and rough country: They come from the mountainous stone deserts of North Africa. This is why they can get by with little food such as thistles and hard grass and can survive a few days without water. Donkeys kept as pets are found in Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The Spanish also brought donkeys to South America.

What donkey breeds are there?

Unlike horses, there aren’t as many breeds of donkeys. They can be distinguished from each other primarily by size and color. The largest is the French Poitou donkey:

It is 150 centimeters high, weighs up to 400 kilograms, and has very long, yellow-brown to black-brown fur. The fur around the muzzle is white and he has white circles under his eyes.

Donkeys bred in the Alps are slightly smaller and more agile. The Macedonian donkey is one of the smallest: It only grows to a height of one meter.

There are also hybrids of donkeys and horses: If the mother is a donkey and the father is a horse, the animal is called a mule, if the mother is a horse and the father is a donkey, the offspring is called a mule. Both are larger than normal donkeys, but cannot breed, i. H. they don’t have boys.

How old do donkeys get?

Donkeys can live up to 50 years.

Behave

How old do donkeys get?

Donkeys are among man’s oldest domestic animals: They were kept in Egypt as pack animals and riding animals as early as 6000 years ago. The first donkeys probably came to Europe 4000 years ago. Because they were versatile, they were used as working animals: they carried people over the highest mountains and the longest distances, pulled wagons, and drove wells and mills.

Here, too, every miller used to have a donkey to haul heavy sacks of grain. Wherever there are steep paths – for example in the mountains and on small mountainous islands – donkeys used to be the most important means of transport: because donkeys are much narrower than horses, they can still walk safely on the narrowest paths in the mountains.

Donkeys are considered stubborn and stupid. Because of this, people often treat them very badly and beat them. But in reality, they only have their own mind and do not simply submit. Donkeys are very smart, brave, and careful. In a dangerous situation, they stop and consider how best to react instead of running away like a headless horse.

They learn quickly and if you speak to them in short, simple words, they quickly understand what you mean. Donkeys only become aggressive and snappy if you treat them badly. Donkeys don’t like to be alone. They prefer to live in a herd. But they also get along well with sheep, cattle, or goats.

With the wild donkeys, several donkey mares form groups with their daughters, the stallions live in stallion groups. Donkeys love to graze all day long, in between they rest and go to the watering trough.

Friends and foes of the donkey

Only predators can be dangerous to wild donkeys. But if a whole herd of donkeys is attacked, they form a circle and put even large predators to flight with violent hoof kicks.

How do donkeys reproduce?

When donkey stallions fight over a mare before mating, things get really loud: one screams and moans louder than the other in an attempt to outdo him. They also fight fiercely with hoof kicks and bites.

Even the mares sometimes defend themselves with kicks and bites against a too temperamental donkey.

About twelve to thirteen months after mating, a young is finally born: It can walk immediately and has a thick coat that protects against cold and excessive heat. A donkey foal is suckled by its mother for up to eight months, but after just one week it gradually begins to eat grass and hay as well.

How do donkeys communicate?

Everyone knows the typical “I-AHH” of a donkey. They can also scream and moan deafeningly.