Donkey
Equus asinus
Donkeys can recognize other donkeys and places they have visited up to 25 years ago.
- Scientific name
- Equus asinus
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Mammalia › Perissodactyla › Equidae › Equus
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- desert
- Habitat
- Arid scrublands, deserts, and agricultural pastures
- Diet
- Herbivorous; tough grasses, shrubs, desert plants, and hay
- Range
- Worldwide (domesticated), East Africa (ancestral)
- Size
- 90-150 cm tall at the shoulder, weighing 100-480 kg
- Lifespan
- 25 to 40 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Neglect, overworking, and the global trade of donkey skins for traditional medicine.
- Safe to approach?
- Generally docile but defensive if startled. Avoid standing directly behind them to prevent defensive kicks. Approach slowly from the front. If kicked or bitten, wash the area and seek medical evaluation.
The donkey or ass ( Equus africanus asinus ) is a domesticated member of the horse family, Equidae. The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African wild ass, E. africanus . The donkey has been used as a working animal for at least 5000 years. There are more than 40 million donkeys in the world, mostly in underdeveloped countries, where they are used principally as draught or pack animals. Working donkeys are often associated with those living at...
Photo: Angela Marie, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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