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What types (species) of Donkeys are there?

The American Mammoth Donkey was first bred from Poitou, Maltese, Catalonian and Andalusia breeds and developed in the United States of America . Conceived and crossed breed primarily for producing donkeys for heavy work and long riding. The male donkey is known as jack, and Mammoth jacks should stand at least 58 inches (147 centimeters) high, while female mammoth donkeys are called jennies or jennets and measures at 56 inches upwards. Today this type of donkey is still rare as classified by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, only with less than a thousand new registrations annually.

Poitou Donkeys is a rare breed that has a dark brown hairy fur, a strong build, and long ears. The exact origins of the Poitou donkey are not generally known. It’s the largest type of all donkeys, and measures about 59 inches at the highest point on its back and sometimes more. It has an irregular and long matted bay-brown fur, without dorsal stripes. Its shaggy appearance is considered normal. Their weight varies in between about 350 to 450 kg.

With its unbalanced temperament and its lacking of grace in posture, this donkey is hardly ever used for work. Its value lies solely in its role as a sire for mules. The numbers of these donkeys, both male and female, have fallen very low.

Most donkeys all over the world are under this size range. Often called burros, they stand between 36.01″ and 48″ at the withers and are further divided into three categories:

  1. Small Standard—36.01 inches to 40 inches
  2. Standard—40.01inches to 48 inches
  3. Large Standard—48.01 inches to 54 inches (females) and 48.01 inches to 56 inches (males)

Also known as the “Mercedes of Donkeys”; its distinguishably characterized by its exemplary long ears and a very friendly personality trait. Due to its almost professional and highly developed work trait and energetic health this Cypriot donkey are highly regarded and valued in different places like in Ottoman Syria and Palestine . It is not clear when the Cypriot donkey exactly emerged as a different and separate breed. It is clear, however, that it is markedly different from the common and more ordinary donkey of the Levant .

A special breed that was in America. While all asses can come in the spotted pattern (”pinto”), the term American Spotted Ass is a trade name for donkeys registered with ACOSA or the American Council of Spotted Asses, which is trying to establish foundation stock for spotted asses.

Mule – a product of a cross breed between a male donkey (jack) and a female horse.
Hinny – a product of a cross breed between a female donkey (jenny) and a male horse.
Zonkey, Zebroid, Zebrass, or Zedonk – are names used to describe donkeys that were a product from the offspring of a Zebra-Donkey cross breeding.

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What is a Donkey?

Donkeys are relatives to horses and zebras. These three animals are all members of the Equidae family. The donkey is widely believed to be a descendant of the Nubian subspecies of African Wild Ass which is now rare and found in only a few remote parts the African continent.

Donkeys are different from horses mainly in its physical appearance. Donkey’s ears are very much noticeably larger than that of a horse in terms of proportion to its over all size. Donkeys have a much straighter neck, its crump and romp sizes differs from the horse, lacking in withers make up a straighter back of the donkeys and the tail and mane of donkeys are coarse leaving the tail to be covered with short body hair for its entirety.

Donkeys need shelter during times when rains pour heavily because as another difference with horses, donkey’s fur does not have waterproof capability.

Unlike Horses who adapts in a close knit herd and stables type of living condition, Donkeys are very much at ease in occupying and living in wide open marginal desert lands where there are almost a scarcity of food sources. For this reasons Donkeys have developed a distinguished loud voices that produces raspy and brassy sounds that can be heard for at least three kilometers away. This ability allows them to interact and communicate with one another.

Donkeys digestive system is something that stands out, it can easily break down the most inedible vegetation food and at the same time save and extract as many moisture as possible.

When push comes to shove in the wild, Donkey are also capable of defending themselves properly by using their hind legs for a forceful kick.

Most domestic Donkey stands between 35 to 55 inches tall. Unlike horses Donkeys needs a much smaller amount of food, they are prone to a disease called laminitis if they are overfed.

Domestic Donkeys are also classified by their sizes rather than their breed as a result of cross generational breeding there weren’t enough pure breeds left.

The size categories are:

Most Donkeys have a mouse gray color but there are donkeys that have different colors like black, white, all shades of gray, brown and even albino white. There are also donkeys that were known as “strawberry roan” because of their pink color (a mixture of grey dun and light red).
The average lifespan of Donkeys ranges from 25 years to its considered elderly age of 40 years. Some lucky Donkeys have been recorded to live through the ripe old age of 60.
Facts regarding the difference between Donkeys and Horses:

Donkeys are a wonderful animal although very much different from Horses, donkeys can also have their fair share of uses like protecting fellow herd animals such as sheep and cattle goats from predators, a reliable stable companion of horses and even be used as a ride for the disabled people because Donkeys are considered kind, patient and affectionate animal.

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