The donkey (Equus asinus) is a domesticated animal known for its endurance, calmness and friendly nature. It was domesticated more than 5,000 years ago, and since then it has served humans as a pulling force, transportation, and a faithful companion in the household.
Classification and scientific name
• Kingdom: Animals (Animalia)
- Type: Chordate
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Perissodactyla
- Family: Equidae
- Genus: Horse (Equus)
- Species: Donkey (Equus asinus)
Physical characteristics
📏 Dimensions and weight
- Height at the withers: 90-150 cm
- Weight: 100-300 kg
- The size depends on the breed - there are both dwarf and large breeds
🎨 Appearance.
- Looks like a horse, but with shorter legs and longer ears
- Short hair, usually gray, brown or white
- Tail with a tassel at the end
- Big eyes, expressive face
Habitat and lifestyle
📍 Where he lives.
- Domestic donkeys - all over the world
- Wild ancestors (African wild ass) - in the deserts and savannas of Africa
🌿 Environment.
- Well adapted to arid, mountainous and rocky areas
- Can survive where other ungulates cannot
👨👩👧👦 A social animal
- Calm, sociable
- They can live alone or in pairs
- They get along well with people and other animals on the farm
🕓 Activity
- Daytime animal
- Likes a slow, measured life, but can run very fast if necessary
Food
🌾 What he eats
- Herbivore
- Main diet: grass, hay, leaves, shrubs
- May live on poor food that is unsuitable for other animals
Reproduction and life expectancy
👶 Cubs
- Pregnancy: ~12 months
- Usually one foal is born
- Young animals are very attached to their mothers
⏳ How long does he live
- 25-40 years, sometimes longer with proper care
Usage and meaning
💼 What is useful for people
- Transportation of goods, harnesses
- Works great in the mountains, on narrow trails
- Source of milk (donkey milk is a valuable product)
- It is used in therapy for children (donkey therapy)
Interesting facts
✔ Has an excellent memory - remembers routes and people's faces for decades
✔ Unlike horses, donkeys are more cautious - they don't panic, they think about the situation
✔ Can live without water longer than a camel
✔ In some regions, donkeys symbolize hard work and wisdom
✔ Donkey milk is considered hypoallergenic and very nutritious
Conclusion
A donkey is more than just a draft animal. It is an intelligent, hardy and loyal human companion that has earned respect and love in different parts of the world. Its quiet gaze contains calmness, wisdom and a thousand-year history of coexistence with humans 🫏💛
