The Poitou donkey is an animal with dreadlocks (19 photos). Picasso (Pic-ass-o) from Bristol

Perhaps it’s time to forget about the stereotype that a donkey is a stupid and stubborn creature, and stop calling stupid people who are unable to understand basic things that way. In fact, donkeys are smart and talented animals that can not only chew grass and bask in the sun, drive carts around the park and beg people for carrots, but also paint bright abstract paintings with watercolors or oil paints. Such an artist, an ass named Patty, lives in Bristol city center HorseWorld.

Donkey is a mammal, odd-toed ungulate.

In many countries, the donkey, or domestic donkey, still lives next to people. The wild ass animal participated in the formation of this economic subspecies.

Domestic donkeys have been proven to predate domesticated horses and have been practically the main means of transport for a long time.

Donkey: characteristics, origin

As with many other animals, such as horses, a distinction must be made between wild and feral donkeys. The wild ass has its own characteristics. But we'll talk about them a little later.

Donkeys can be found in a wide variety of colors: gray, black, brown, and occasionally white. The color of their belly, front of the muzzle and the area around the eyes is usually light. The mane and tail are hard. There is a tassel at the end of the tail. The ears are clearly longer than those of a horse.

The height of donkeys varies between 90-160 cm. Sexual maturity is reached at approximately 2.5 years.

Due to the fact that their hooves do not tolerate the European humid climate well (deep holes and cracks form in which abscesses appear), caring for them is extremely important.

These animals originate from countries with arid climates.

Wild ass: name, description, habitat

The wild ass (Equus asinus) was most likely widespread in the North African deserts in the ancient past. As a species, unfortunately, it is practically not studied.

The ancestor of the domestic donkey has the appearance of a typical long-eared animal, much smaller in height than a horse (height up to 1.4 m), thin-legged, with a massive head and short mane.

A long time ago, various subspecies of this ungulate lived in North Africa and parts of Asia. As a result of domestication, they almost all disappeared in the ancient Roman era.

Today they are preserved only in the hills off the Egyptian Red Sea coast, in Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan and Eritrea. A small population was able to take root in the Israeli reserve.

In Somalia, the wild ass may have disappeared completely as a result of the civil war. In Ethiopia and Sudan, the same fate probably awaits him too. Only Eritrea has a good population of these animals - about 400 individuals.

Feral donkeys: distribution

Feral (once domestic) donkeys, compared to originally wild ones, exist in many countries around the world. They also exist in countries with populations of wild donkeys, which raises serious concerns among zoologists. They believe that this situation could lead to mixing of both groups, and this would lead to the destruction of the genetic purity of the wild donkey.

Quite a lot of wild animals live in the steppes of Australia (1.5 million). In the southwestern United States there are about 6 thousand donkeys (burros), which are protected.

One of the small European populations of such donkeys is also found on the island. Capras. They are larger than other donkeys. They are also unusual in that they have zebra-like stripes on their legs.

Perhaps the wild ass is not truly wild at all. Most of the animals that people have seen in nature in recent years are almost feral domestic animals. The wild donkey has been studied quite little. All that is known about him: he lives mainly in the area and feeds mostly on vegetation.

Lifestyle

Like zebras, donkeys are kept in family herds (10 mares and young ones) led by a stallion. They roam widely and are very careful. In nature, both smooth-haired and long-haired and curly can be found.

They mate mainly in the spring, less often in early summer. After about 1 year (13-14 months), one or two foals are born and are fed on mother's milk until they are 6 months old.

The donkey becomes very attached to her cubs. The foal reaches independence at almost two years of age.

Difference from a horse, features

What is the difference between a donkey and a horse? The fact that it has hooves adapted for walking on uneven rocky surfaces. But they only allow these animals to move safely, but not to jump. True, if necessary, a donkey can reach speeds of up to 70 kilometers per hour.

In addition to noticeable external differences from horses, there are some features that are not noticeable at first glance. One of them is a different number of vertebrae. Donkeys also have 31 pairs of chromosomes, while horses have 32.

And the body temperature of these animals is slightly lower compared to horses - on average 37 rather than 38 °C. The gestation period in donkeys is longer than in horses.

A wild donkey (photo with a calf is above) is a caring, hardy, hardworking animal.

Even during the construction of the famous Egyptian pyramids, these amazing, seemingly small animals participated as mounts and pack animals. It turns out that the domestication of the donkey actually occurred in Egypt and Ethiopia during the Upper Neolithic period, more than 5 thousand years ago.

Donkeys are close relatives of horses and zebras. But looking at pictures of donkeys, you can notice that these animals are very different in their muzzle and body structure.

Despite their small size, donkeys are very strong and hardy animals. They are capable of carrying a person or cargo weighing up to 110 kilograms. For more than 6 thousand years, donkeys have served people, helping them carry heavy loads over long distances.

Donkeys differ from each other in color: among them you can find white individuals, almost black ones, and gray ones with brown spots. In addition, donkeys differ greatly in the length of their hair: some have short hair, and some have long hair. All these features vary depending on the area where the donkey lives: in hot regions these animals have one look, in cold regions they have a completely different look.

At the same time, most donkeys prefer to live in a warm climate, where it is more pleasant for them to reproduce and live a full life. The most optimal climate for donkeys is in Uzbekistan, Syria, Egypt and other dry, hot countries.

A donkey's pregnancy lasts about a year, after which one baby is born, sometimes two. By the age of one and a half years, the donkey already looks like an adult, but begins to reproduce when it reaches 3 years. At the same time, a donkey matures for use in labor only by the age of 4-5, since if it is forced to carry heavy loads at an early age, its back may be damaged, which will make it disabled.

On average, donkeys live up to 20 years in the wild and about 35-40 years, being an ally of humans, but there are also centenarians who live up to 50-52 years. If a donkey is well-fed and satisfied, he will never be stubborn and will live a happy life, pleasing his owner.

Donkeys are social animals that find it difficult to live alone, without company. Even if the owner leaves the donkey alone in the pen for a short time, it begins to feel sad and worried. It is important that the donkey has people or other donkeys around him, then he feels good.

Donkeys are able to protect grazing animals from enemies, which are small predators. Farmers often keep donkeys for just such a mission.

Donkeys prefer to eat leaves from trees and bushes, as well as succulent grass. Since they prefer to live in dry places on our planet, they can work for a long time without water. And the presence of special hooves allows donkeys to move deftly through mountainous terrain.

The donkey has been a symbol of stubbornness since ancient times. This is due to the fact that if an animal does not like something, it can stop, being loaded with a heavy burden, and even an earthquake will not force it to move.

At the same time, if the donkey is satisfied with everything, then he will serve his master faithfully and conscientiously, carrying heavy loads.

The best photo of donkeys look in our gallery.

Mammoth donkeys (Baudet de Poitou), farm in southwest France.
Photo: Dynamosquito

About 40 years ago, there were less than 30 of these amazing and friendly creatures left in the world. Today, thanks to a program to preserve a unique subspecies, curly-haired donkeys are restoring their numbers, and it seems that they will still be on our planet for a while.

Photo: Patries71


Photo: Wikimedia

Poitou is a historical region of France, located approximately 480 kilometers from Paris. For a long time this place kept its secret... Some secrets are dark or even deadly, however, this one turned out to be, on the contrary, cute and fluffy in the literal sense. Poitou donkeys are the most adorable of their species, and they certainly have an interesting story to tell. More recently, mammoth donkeys were on the verge of complete extinction, but thanks to the hard work of animal rights activists, their future may be much brighter than imagined just a few decades ago.

Photo: Tambako the Jaguar

Mammoth donkeys are descended from wild asses (Equus asinus) and horses, and are essentially just normal donkeys, but with funny dreadlocks. This animal looks as if scientists bred it during some kind of genetic experiments to amuse the bored children of moneybags, but in fact, curly-haired donkeys have been living and helping French peasants for several centuries. Initially, Poitou was bred exclusively for the further breeding of mules (a traditional activity in this region of France), and not so many of these unique donkeys were exported to other countries over the years.

Photo: tomb1015

Some experts believe that the local tradition of breeding mules (the offspring of donkeys and mares) was introduced here by the ancient Romans, which presumably indicates that the history of breeding the long-haired donkey breed may go back over 2 thousand years. In the process of breeding mules, domesticated donkeys were crossed with Mulassier horses, and thus the largest mules in Europe were born. A second breed of comparable size was developed in Andalucia, Spain.

Photo: canong2fan


Photo: Wikimedia

However, the success story of the Poitou subspecies was short-lived. With the development of industry and due to the mechanization of farming activities, the need for long-haired donkeys has practically disappeared, the demand for them has become extremely low, and the population of this amazing animal has decreased significantly. The breed practically came to an end, because farmers no longer needed it and, at best, actively sold their herds, including to slaughterhouses. At worst, they dealt with the animals themselves. It seemed that very soon the Poitou donkey would become part of the past and completely disappear from the face of the Earth.

Photo: Kaimling


Photo: Tambako the Jaguar

Then in 1977, a study showed that only 12 male mammoths remained and 13 female mammoths remained. People suddenly realized that if no action was taken soon, the rare breed would die out forever. Local authorities, trying to preserve this unique and at the same time almost relict species, together with breeders, breeders and the French National Parks Authority, began to create a stud book. The collection includes a list of all known purebred Poitou donkeys and their crosses. Based on this lineage, a reproductive system was organized to bring the historical species back to life.

Photo: drhenkenstein


Photo: MissTessmacher


Photo: Wikimedia

Thanks to this program, there are now over 100 mammoth asses and burros in southwest France that are alive, healthy and capable of breeding. There are about 1,000 individuals of these unique Poitou throughout the world. By their example, these donkeys showed that thanks to joint work, a rare species, on the verge of complete extinction, is able to make a triumphant return. The most valuable are those with long dreadlocks, because shaggy and curly hair is the calling card of mammoth donkeys. Recently, a rare subspecies has become increasingly popular, because its representatives are famous for their obedience. Unlike most other donkeys, the friendly Poitou loves to have fun and is capable of forming the most affectionate relationships with their owners.

Photo: Wikimedia


Photo: packfou

In truth, in our time such a pet is the lot of only rich people, because the price of one Poitou can sometimes reach as much as 5 thousand dollars. In addition, you can’t just have one of these donkeys in your backyard, because these animals grow up to 1.5 meters at the withers. Poitou is a true giant in the world of donkeys!

Photo: dynamosquito


Photo: Fonk


Photo: jmanteau

One such animal needs a territory of approximately 4 thousand square meters, but that’s not all. Mammoth donkeys are very social creatures, and they simply need the constant company of their relatives, so you should have such pets in the plural. If you do some simple calculations, you will quickly realize that breeding Poitou is a hobby only for very wealthy people. In any case, the growing popularity of mammoth donkeys among the rich and famous gives hope that this species will not soon be in danger of extinction.

Photo: Wikimedia


Photo: Wikimedia