Donkeys - General Description
Donkeys belong to the equine family, together with horses, zebras and mules. These cute sturdy animals are used both for work and pleasure. They are ridden; they can pull bags or carts. Donkeys are used as pack animals. They also can be used to protect sheep and goats from predators.
In comparison with horses, donkeys are more unflappable and careful creatures. They are considered stubborn animals. It is especially true when it comes to getting wet.
Donkeys are known in a variety of sizes: the Miniature Mediterranean, the Mammoth Jackstock and the rare French Poitou donkey. The latter variety is recognized by a large head and ears and extremely thick and curly black coat. As the statistics goes, there are fewer than 200 purebred species of Poitou in the world at present.
The intact donkey male, the breeding male, a stud or stallion donkey is called a Jack. The female donkey is called a Jennet or Jenny. A gelding is a neutered male donkey. A yearling is a young donkey that is from 1-2 years old.
The characteristic features of donkeys are their long ears. The donkey's hooves are smaller and rounder than in horses and the pastern is more erect. The donkey's mane and tail are course. Legs are long and rather thin. The tail looks more like a cow's. The donkey's voice is a brassy bray and they use their famous bray to sound off in various situations.
Colors in donkeys range from gray to brown, sorrel hues, a unique spotted pattern and dapple roan, where the face and legs are light and the body is marked with dapples.
Scientific Name - Equus asinus
Height - body length- average 6.6 feet
shoulder height-4.2-5.5 feet
tail length-17 inches
Weight - 605 pounds
Life Span - Donkeys can live up to 40 years.
Donkeys - Miniature
Miniature donkeys originated in Africa. They are known to have arrived in the Mediterranean islands of Sardinia and Sicily to serve as beasts of burden. Miniature donkeys did important farm work. For instance, they carried loaded packs and pulled carts.
Miniature donkeys are easy to care for and are hardy animals. Friendly toward people and intelligent, they are quite easily trained. Willingness to please is in their nature. Therefore, miniature donkeys make very good pets and companions. They often do well in halter and pack classes. A miniature donkey is capable of carrying a pack up to 100 pounds.
The growing popularity of Miniature donkeys makes it rather difficult to give an accurate count of their population. For example, there are approximately 15,000 Miniature donkeys in the USA. However, many donkeys are not registered.
