? Donkey Conservation status: Domesticated
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Perissodactyla Family: Equidae Genus: Equus Species: E. asinus
Binomial name
Equus asinus Linnaeus, 1758

The donkey, a.k.a. Annes (Equus asinus, hence also ass), is a domesticated animal of the horse family, Equidae. The word also applies to a type of apparatus. Download high resolution version (1803x1212, 501 KB)This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons, a repository of free content hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Phyla Porifera (sponges) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria (coral, jellyfish, anenomes) Placozoa (trichoplax) Subregnum Bilateria (bilateral symmetry) Acoelomorpha (basal) Orthonectida (flatworms, echinoderms, etc. ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicatas Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Orders Subclass Multituberculata (extinct) Plagiaulacida Cimolodonta Subclass Palaeoryctoides (extinct) Subclass Triconodonta (extinct) Subclass Eutheria (includes extinct ancestors)/Placentalia (excludes extinct ancestors) Afrosoricida Artiodactyla Carnivora Cetacea Chiroptera Cimolesta (extinct) Creodonta (extinct) Condylarthra (extinct) Dermoptera Desmostylia (extinct) Embrithopoda (extinct) Hyracoidea Insectivora Lagomorpha Litopterna (extinct) Macroscelidea Mesonychia (extinct) Notoungulata (extinct) Perissodactyla Pholidota Plesiadapiformes... Families Equidae Tapiridae Rhinocerotidae The odd-toed ungulates or Perissodactyla are large to very large browsing and grazing mammals with relatively simple stomachs and a large middle toe. ... Species - Donkey - African Wild Ass - Domestic Horse - Tarpan (extinct) - Grevys Zebra - Onager - Kiang - Przewalskis Horse - Plains Zebra - Mountain Zebra Equidae is the family of horse-like animals, order Perissodactyla. ... Species - Donkey - Domestic Horse - Grevys Zebra - Onager - Przewalskis Horse - Plains Zebra - Mountain Zebra Equidae is the family of horse-like animals, order Perissodactyla. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Carolus Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as Carl von Linné â–¶(?), and in English usually under the Latinized name Carolus Linnaeus (May 23, 1707 – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of taxonomy. ... Domesticated animals, plants, and other organisms are those whose collective behavior, life cycle, or physiology has been altered as a result of their breeding and living conditions being under human control for multiple generations. ... Species - Donkey - African Wild Ass - Domestic Horse - Tarpan (extinct) - Grevys Zebra - Onager - Kiang - Przewalskis Horse - Plains Zebra - Mountain Zebra Equidae is the family of horse-like animals, order Perissodactyla. ...

Etymology of the name

The word "donkey" (ass) is one of the most etymologically obscure in the English language. Until quite recent times, the standard word was "ass" also known as purvi, which has clear cognates in most other Indo-European languages; no credible cognate for "donkey" has yet been identified, though it is possible that it is a diminutive of "dun" (dull greyish-brown), a typical donkey colour; originally, "donkey" was pronounced to rhyme with "monkey". In the late 18th century, the word "donkey" started to replace "ass", almost certainly to avoid confusion with the word "arse", which, due to sound changes that had affected the language, had come to be pronounced the same way (/æs/ > /ɑ:s/ and /ɑ:rs/ > /ɑ:s/). The /ɑ:s/ pronunciation of "ass" was eventually restored to /æs/ in order to reserve the distinction, but not without the curious consequence of American English losing the word "arse" entirely and handing over its meaning to "ass". Etymology is the study of the origins of words. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Cognates are words that have a common origin. ... The Indo-European languages include some 443 (SIL estimate) languages and dialects, including most of the major language families of Europe, as well as many languages of Southwest and South Asia, which belong to a single superfamily. ... African female (upper left), Chinese female (lower left), European male (upper right), Indian male (lower right). ...

Relationship to horses

A male donkey can be crossed with a female horse to produce a mule. A male horse can be crossed with a female donkey (jennet or jenny) to produce a hinny. These hybrids are almost always sterile because horses have 64 chromosomes whereas donkeys have 62, producing offspring with 63 chromosomes. Due to different mating behavior, jacks are often more willing to cover mares than stallions are to breed jennets. Mules are much more common than hinnies. This is believed to be caused by two factors, the first being proven in cat hybrids, that when the chromosome count of the male is the higher, fertility rates drop (as in the case of stallion x jennet). The lower progesterone production of the jennet may also lead to early embryonic loss. Although it is commonly believed that mules are more easily handled and also physically stronger than hinnies, making them more desirable for breeders to produce, it is simply that mule are more common in total number. For other uses of the word mule, see mule (disambiguation). ... A hinny is the offspring of a male horse and a female donkey (jennet or jenny). ... In biology, hybrid has three meanings. ... Sterility is the quality or state of being unable to reproduce. ... Figure 1: Chromosome. ... It has been suggested that Copulation be merged into this article or section. ...

Poitou Donkey

One particular donkey breed was developed in France for the sole purpose of producing mules. This is the Poitou Donkey. It is a very characteristic large donkey breed with a very long shaggy coat and no dorsal stripe. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1476x1200, 344 KB) Summary Poitou Donkey or Baudet du Poitou. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1476x1200, 344 KB) Summary Poitou Donkey or Baudet du Poitou. ...

Economic use

Donkeys carrying loads in Tibet

Classic British seaside donkeys in Skegness

Domestication of the donkey circa 4000 BC is credited to predynastic Egypt (see Domestication). In particular, the donkey has been cited as the most probable beast of burden employed enroute between the First dynasty of Egypt (and perhaps earlier) and turquoise mining camps in the Sinai Peninsula (see Sinai Peninsula), as mention of the dromedary in Ancient Egypt does not appear until far later in the early 2nd millennium BC (see [1]). File links The following pages link to this file: Donkey Categories: Conditional use images ... File links The following pages link to this file: Donkey Categories: Conditional use images ... Tibet (older spelling Thibet; Tibetan: བོད་, Bod, pronounced pö in Lhasa dialect; Chinese: 西藏, pinyin: XÄ«zàng or 藏区 ZàngqÅ« [the two names are used with different connotations; see Names section below]) is a region in Central Asia and the home of the Tibetan people. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (488x650, 156 KB)Classic British seaside donkeys at Skegness, July 2005. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (488x650, 156 KB)Classic British seaside donkeys at Skegness, July 2005. ... Skegness is a seaside resort town in Lincolnshire, England, with a permanent population of about 30,000. ... Domesticated animals, plants, and other organisms are those whose collective behavior, life cycle, or physiology has been altered as a result of their breeding and living conditions being under human control for multiple generations. ... (5th millennium BC – 4th millennium BC – 3rd millennium BC - other millennia) Events City of Ur in Mesopotamia (40th century BC). ... The Predynastic Period of Egypt (prior to 3100 BC) is the period that culminates in the rise of the Old Kingdom and the first of the thirty dynasties based on royal residences, by which Egyptologists divide the history of pharaonic civilization using a schedule laid out first by Manethos... Domesticated animals, plants, and other organisms are those whose collective behavior, life cycle, or physiology has been altered as a result of their breeding and living conditions being under human control for multiple generations. ... SG-1 visits a planet where the Unas are slaves. ... The First and second Dynasties of Ancient Egypt are often combined under the group title of the Early Dynastic Period of Egypt. ... Turquoise (or turquois) is opaque, blue-to-green hydrated copper aluminium phosphate mineral according to the chemical formula CuAl6(PO4)4(OH)8·5H2O. It is rare and valuable in finer grades and has been enjoyed as a gem and ornamental stone for thousands of years owing to its unique... Sinai Peninsula, Gulf of Suez (west), Gulf of Aqaba (east) from Space Shuttle STS-40 See Sinai for other uses of Sinai The Sinai Peninsula (in Arabic, Shibh Jazirat Sina شبه جزيرة سيناء) is a triangle-shaped peninsula lying between the Mediterranean Sea (to the north) and Red Sea (to the south), located... Sinai Peninsula, Gulf of Suez (west), Gulf of Aqaba (east) from Space Shuttle STS-40 See Sinai for other uses of Sinai The Sinai Peninsula (in Arabic, Shibh Jazirat Sina شبه جزيرة سيناء) is a triangle-shaped peninsula lying between the Mediterranean Sea (to the north) and Red Sea (to the south), located... Binomial name Camelus dromedarius Linnaeus, 1758 The Dromedary, or Arabian Camel (Camelus dromedarius), is a large even-toed ungulate native to northern Africa and western Asia, and the best-known member of the camel family. ... ... (3rd millennium BC – 2nd millennium BC – 1st millennium BC – other millennia) // Events To grasp the spirit of the 2nd millennium BC, we must divide it in two parts, for there is a period of change around its middle so important that it creates two separate sub-millennia. First half (2000...

Donkeys were also used in the prehistoric eras of Europe and western Asia, for pulling carts and carrying loads (including riders). Though not as fast as horses, donkeys are long-lived, cheaper to maintain, have great endurance, and are agile on poor tracks. They remain of crucial economic importance in many developing countries. The term prehistory (Greek words προ = before and ιστορία = history) is usually used to describe the period before written history became available. ... A satellite composite image of Europe // Etymology Picture of Europa, carried away by bull-shaped Zeus. ... World map showing Asia. ... A developing country is a country with low average income compared to the world average. ...

Donkeys have a reputation for stubbornness, but this is due to some handlers' misinterpretation of their highly-developed sense of self preservation. It is difficult to force or frighten a donkey into doing something it sees as contrary to its own best interest, as opposed to horses who are much more willing to, for example, go along a path with unsafe footing.

Although formal studies of their behaviour and cognition are rather limited, donkeys appear to be quite intelligent, cautious, friendly, playful, and eager to learn. They are many times fielded with horses due to a perceived calming effect on nervous horses. If a donkey is introduced to a mare and foal, the foal will often turn to the donkey for support after it has left its mother. [2] Ethology is the scientific study of animal behavior considered as a branch of zoology. ... Animal cognition is the title given to a modern approach to the mental capacities of animals. ...

Once a person has earned their confidence they can be willing and companionable partners in work and recreation. For this reason, they are now commonly kept as pets in countries where their use as beasts of burden has disappeared. They are also popular for giving rides to children in holiday resorts or other leisure contexts. Pets and humans often contribute toward the happiness of the other in a pet relationship. ...

In prosperous countries, the welfare of donkeys both at home and abroad has recently become a concern, and a number of sanctuaries for retired donkeys have been set up.

Wild asses

With domestication of almost all donkeys, few species now exist in the wild. Some of them are the African Wild Ass (Equus africanus) and its subspecies Somalian Wild Ass (Equus africanus somaliensis). The Asiatic wild ass or Onager, Equus hemionus, and its relative the Kiang, Equus kiang, are closely related wild species. Binomial name Equus hemionus Pallas, 1775 The Onager (Equus hemionus) is a large mammal belonging to the horse family and native to the deserts of Syria, Iran, India, and Tibet. ... The kiang was considered to be a subspecies of Equus hemoinus (Onager), but recent molecular studies indicate that it is a distinct species. ...

There was another extinct subspecies called the Yukon Wild Ass (Equus asinus lambei). In the wild the asses can reach top speeds equalling zebras and even most horses. Species Equus zebra Equus quagga Equus grevyi *See Equus for other species. ... Binomial name Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758 The Horse (Equus caballus) is a sizeable ungulate mammal, one of the ten modern species of the genus Equus. ...

Burro

Adopted wild burro

The Spanish brought burros to North America beginning in the late fifteenth century. These burros were used as pack animals, but also for riding and pulling carts. These pack animals were prized for their hardiness in arid country and became the beast of burden of choice by early prospectors in the Southwest United States. The wild burros on the western rangelands descend from burros that escaped, were abandoned, or were freed. Wild burros in the United States are protected by Public Law 92-195, The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971. These animals, considered to be a living legacy, have lately been at risk due to drought. The Bureau of Land Management conducts round-ups of endangered herds, and holds public auctions. More information can be obtained from U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. Download high resolution version (856x670, 351 KB)personal photo taken in July 02 of adopted female wild burro File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Download high resolution version (856x670, 351 KB)personal photo taken in July 02 of adopted female wild burro File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... US BLM logo The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers Americas public lands, totaling approximately 261 million surface acres (1,056,229. ... The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is a Cabinet department of the United States government that manages and conserves most federally-owned land. ...

Wild burros make good pets when treated well and cared for properly. They are clever and curious. When trust has been established, they appreciate, and even seek, attention and grooming.

External burro links

• National Wild Horse and Burro Program

Cultural aspects

A donkey in Santiago, Chile

The long history of human use of donkeys means that there is a rich store of cultural references to them, including: Subject: A donkey in Santiago, Chile. ... Subject: A donkey in Santiago, Chile. ... Satellite image of Santiago Santiago (full form Santiago de Chile) is the capital of Chile. ...

• The ass was a symbol of the Egyptian god, Seth
• Several were buried in Hor-Aha's tomb [3]
• The ass was a symbol the Greek god Dionysus.
• Greek mythology includes the story of King Midas who judged against Apollo in favor of Pan during a musical contest, and had his ears changed to those of a donkey as punishment.
• There are numerous references to donkeys (chomor) in the Hebrew Bible
• The gospels have Jesus riding a donkey into Jerusalem; this has given rise to a legend that this is the origin of the cross on a donkey's shoulders.
• An Indian tale has an ass dressed in a panther skin give himself away by braying.
• One of Aesop's fables has an ass dressed in a lion skin who gives himself away by braying.
• A German proverb claims a donkey can wear a lion suit but its ear will still stick out and give it away.
• English proverbs include "better be the head of an ass than the tail of a horse", "if an ass goes a-traveling, he'll not come back a horse", and "better ride on an ass that carries me home than a horse that throws me" (though all these are now obsolete).

• Classical Greek expressions about donkeys included: onos pros eortēn = "a donkey at the festival" (gets all the work); onos hyetai = "a donkey is rained on" (i.e. he is unaffected or insensitive), onos pros phatnēn = "a donkey at a feed trough" (like the English expression "in clover").
• European folklore also claims that the tail of a donkey can be used to combat whooping cough or scorpion stings.

This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Menes was an Egyptian pharaoh of the First dynasty of Egypt, to some authors the founder of this dynasty, to others the second. ... Bacchus by Caravaggio Dionysus or Dionysos (Ancient Greek: Διώνυσος or Διόνυσος; also known as Bacchus in both Greek and Roman mythology and associated with the Italic Liber), the Thracian god of wine, represents not only the intoxicating power of wine, but also its social and beneficent influences. ... Greek mythology comprises the collected narratives of Greek gods, goddesses, heroes, and heroines, originally created and spread within an oral-poetic tradition. ... Midas (often referred to as King Midas) was a character in Greek mythology, who is mostly recognized for his ability to turn anything he touched into gold. ... Statue of Apollo at the British Museum Apollo (Greek: Απόλλων, Apóllōn; Απελλων) is a god in Greek and Roman mythology, the son of Zeus and Leto, and the twin of Artemis (goddess of the hunt), one of the most important and many-sided of the Olympian divinities. ... Marble sculpture of Pan copulating with a goat, recovered from Herculaneum Pan (Greek Παν, genitive Πανος) is the Greek god who watches over shepherds and their flocks. ... 11th century manuscript of the Hebrew Bible with Targum This article discusses usage of the term Hebrew Bible. For the article on the Hebrew Bible itself, see Tanakh. ... For the genre of Christian-themed music, see gospel music. ... Jesus, also known as Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus the Nazarene, is the central figure of Christianity, in which context he is known as Jesus Christ (from Greek Ιησούς Χριστός) with Christ being a title meaning Anointed One. He is also considered a very important prophet in Islam and a manifestation of... Jerusalem and the Old City. ... Black panther variant of the leopard. ... Aesop, as depicted in the Nuremberg Chronicle. ... In its strict sense a fable is a short story or folk tale embodying a moral, which may be expressed explicitly at the end as a maxim. ... Superfamilies Pseudochactoidea Buthoidea Chaeriloidea Chactoidea Iuroidea Scorpionoidea See the classification section for families. ...

abusive meaning

• The donkey has long been a symbol of ignorance. Examples can be found in Aesop's Fables, Apuleius's The Golden Ass (The Metamorphoses of Lucius Apuleius) and Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream
• Because of its connection with ignorance, in modern slang, referring to someone as a dumbass means that they are unintelligent. Many people would find this term vulgar and rude.
• The word ass has entered every day use in the English language as a term used to describe a person who resembles a donkey in some way, such as appearance, stubbornness, intelligence, etc.
• In soccer, especially in the United Kingdom, a player who is considered unskilful, and to rely overly on his physical attributes to cover up his technical shortcomings, is often dubbed a "donkey". A famous example is that of Tony Adams, in the aftermath of Euro 88.

A donkey at Clovelly, North Devon, England

Aesop, as depicted in the Nuremberg Chronicle. ... Lucius Apuleius (c. ... The Metamorphoses of Lucius Apuleius, referred to as The Golden Ass (Asinus aureus) by Augustine, is the only Latin novel to survive in its entirety. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Slang is the non-standard use of words in a language of a particular social group, and sometimes the creation of new words or importation of words from another language. ... Intelligence is a general mental capability that involves the ability to reason, plan, solve problems, think abstractly, comprehend ideas and language, and learn. ... The term vulgar originally meant of the common people, from the Latin vulgus. ... Ruud Gullit lifts the trophy after winning the cup with the Netherlands The 1988 European Football Championship (Euro 88) final tournament was held at West Germany. ... A donkey at Clovelly, North Devon, England. ... A donkey at Clovelly, North Devon, England. ...

US Democratic Party symbol

The donkey has also been a long-time unofficial symbol of the Democratic Party of the United States since Andrew Jackson's 1828 US presidential campaigns, defying the republican campaign calling him a "jackass"" - see [4] . The Democratic Party is one of the two major United States political parties. ... Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845), eponym of the era of Jacksonian democracy and a founder of the Democratic Party, was the seventh President of the United States, serving from 1829 to 1837. ...

Other uses

• A donkey is also an apparatus, usually made from wood, that somewhat resembles the shape of a donkey, such as a Birching donkey.
  • Compare similar uses of the word horse (as in sawhorse) and the word easel, from another Germanic word for donkey (as ezel and Esel, the only words in Dutch and German, for animal and painter's stand).
• Donkey is also the name of a fictional donkey (voiced by Eddie Murphy) in the animated movies Shrek and Shrek 2, both from DreamWorks Pictures.

Birching is corporal punishment with a birch rod, typically a spanking given on the delinquents buttocks, alternatively on the back and/or over the shoulders. ... Binomial name Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758 The Horse (Equus caballus) is a sizeable ungulate mammal, one of the ten modern species of the genus Equus. ... An easel is an upright support (generally a tripod) used for displaying and/or fixing something resting upon it. ... Shrek is a computer-animated movie adaptation of William Steigs 1990 fairy tale picture-book of the same name. ... Edward Eddie Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961, Brooklyn, New York) is an American comedian and actor. ... Shrek is a computer-animated movie adaptation of William Steigs 1990 fairy tale picture-book of the same name. ... Shrek 2 is the 2004 sequel to the computer-animated 2001 DreamWorks Pictures movie Shrek that was released in the United States on May 19, 2004. ... The DreamWorks Boy on the Moon Logo DreamWorks SKG (Spielberg, Katzenberg, Geffen) is a Big Ten studio in the United States of America which develops, produces, and distributes films, music, and television programming. ...

See also

• Buridan's ass
• Donkey Kong
• Nodding donkey
• Ponui donkey
• Donkey vote
• Donkey jacket
• Donkey punch
• Parading on donkey
• Exploding donkey
• The Donkey Party
• Donkey (Shrek)
• Fictional donkeys

The paradox known as Buridans ass was not originated by Buridan himself. ... Donkey Kong (Japanese: ドンキーコング), often shortened to DK, is a gorilla character from Nintendo that appeared in many video games since 1981] Like many Nintendo franchises, Donkey Kong was created by Shigeru Miyamoto. ... A colourful nodding donkey in the United States A nodding donkey is the overground drive for a submersible pump in a borehole. ... Ponui donkey refers to a feral herd of donkeys established on Ponui Island, New Zealand. ... In the Australian electoral system, a donkey vote refers to the practice of numbering the boxes on ballot papers sequentially from top to bottom. ... A Donkey jacket is a short, buttoned outer coat, typically made of black woollen material, unlined; sometimes with a plastic panel covering the shoulder-blades area. ... Donkey punch is a slang term for a supposed sex move performed during doggy style or anal sex. ... Parading on donkey is a punishment in rural areas of India. ... Donkeys have been used to deliver bombs. ... Shrek is a computer-animated movie adaptation of William Steigs 1990 fairy tale picture-book of the same name. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Equus asinus

• Catalan donkey National emblem
• Seek My Bowl on donkey as symbol.
• What is a Poitou Donkey?
• Breeds of livestock - Poitou Donkey