Ass vs Donkey - Difference and Comparison

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	Ass	Donkey
Type of reproduction:	Mammals	Mammals
Social Life:	Live in herds	Prefer to live alone
Avg. shoulder height:	4 feet	4 feet
Natural Colour:	Wild Ass: Bluish Grey to Fawn; Half-Ass: Reddish to Yellow-Grey;	Black, Grey to Sable & White
Underparts colour:	Whitish	Same as coat
Muzzle:	Whitish	Same as coat
Manes:	Short & Upright	Short & Upright
Bray:	Alternating low tones of Hee-Haw	Whiny
Body Characteristics:	Dark stripe from the mane back onto the tail, but only the Nubian ass (E. a. africanus) regularly has a prominent stripe across the shoulders	Dark stripe from mane to tail and a crosswise stripe on the shoulders
Built:	Light	Heavy
Tail:	Tufted tails	Tail has long hairs only at the end
Main Terrain of existance:	Desert Dwellers	Desert Dwellers
Living space:	Territorial	Wanderers
Binomial Name:	Equus Kiang, Equus Hemionus	Equus Asinus
Males called:	Jackass	Jacks
Females called:	Jenny	Jenny
Diet:	Herbivorous	Herbivorous

1 About Ass and Donkey
2 Physical Characteristics of an ass vs. donkey
3 Gender
4 Lifestyle of a donkey and an ass compared

[edit] About Ass and Donkey

[edit] Ass

Ass, hoofed, herbivorous mammals of the genus Equus, resembling and closely related to the horses but having a smaller build and longer ears, and including the domesticated donkey. Either of two species of small, sturdy equines.. They are very swift runners. It is distinguished from the horse by its small size, large head, long ears, and small hooves. There are two living species: Equus hemonius, the Asian ass [1], and E. asinus, the African ass [2]. The latter species includes the domesticated variety, E. asinus asinus, commonly known as the donkey.

[edit] Wild Ass

Wild ass may mean the wild donkey, or it may mean its wild relative the onager, also known as a "half ass" - another animal of the horse genus.The donkey is a domesticated descendant of E. asinus. The related Asiatic wild ass, often called the half-ass (E. hemionus), is usually known by the local names of its various races: e.g., kulan (E. h. hemionus, Mongolia); kiang (E. h. kiang, Tibet); onager (E. h. onager, Iran and Turkmenistan); and ghorkhar (E. h. khur, India and Pakistan). Wild asses are swift desert animals that may attain speeds of up to 40 mi (60 km) per hr. They live in herds of up to 1,000 animals.

[edit] Donkey

The word donkey is one of the most etymologically obscure in the English language. Until quite recent times, the standard word was ass, E.g. jack-ass, which has clear cognates in most other Indo-European languages. Donkeys are descendants of the African wild ass that has been used as a beast of burden since 4000 BC. Donkey is a member of the family Equidae, descended from the wild ass of which there are still many varieties. The male participates in the development of the mule and the female in the production of the hinny. They are also called ass, burros. Donkeys are adapted to marginal desert lands and have many traits that are unique to the species as a result. They need less food than horses. Overfed donkeys can suffer from a disease called laminitis. Donkeys have larger ears than horses to hear the distant calls of fellow donkeys, and to help cool the donkey's blood. Donkeys' tough digestive system can break down inedible vegetation and extract moisture from food more efficiently. Donkeys can defend themselves with a powerful kick of their hind legs. Donkeys are frequently considered among the most morose member of the family Equidae, although some posit that the faces of mules and even hinnies, in their darkest moments, rival the donkey's saturnine visage.

[edit] Physical Characteristics of an ass vs. donkey

Ass: Asses are small, sturdy animals, ranging from 90 to 150 cm (3 to 5 feet) high at the shoulder. The African wild ass is bluish gray to fawn; the half-ass, lighter in colour, is reddish to yellow-gray. Both have whitish muzzles and under parts, short, dark, erect manes lacking a forelock, and tufted tails. Most asses have a dark stripe from the mane back onto the tail, but only the Nubian ass (E. a. africanus) regularly has a prominent stripe across the shoulders, as does the donkey. The half-ass differs from the true ass in its extremely long, slender legs, shorter ears, and larger hooves. The bray of the half-ass lacks the alternating low tones heard in the “hee-haw” of the true ass. The ass is a swift runner: kulans have been clocked at 64.4 km/h (40 miles per hour). In ancient time’s half-asses, especially the onager, were tamed and trained for work. These lighter-bodied animals were eventually rejected in favour of the sturdier donkey.

Donkey: Characteristically gray to sable in color, short of stature, long, floppy-eared and with a bray as a call instead of a whinny. Many have a dorsal and shoulder stripes. The average donkey stands about 40 in. (100 cm) high at the shoulder, but breeds range from 24 to 66 in. (61 – 168 cm). Coats range from white to gray or black, usually with a dark stripe from mane to tail and a crosswise stripe on the shoulders. The mane is short and upright, and the tail has long hairs only at the end. The very long ears are dark at the base and tip. Donkeys are surefooted and can carry heavy loads over rough terrain. Most wild donkeys are between 1 and 1.60 m in length. Domestic donkeys stand from 0.9 to over 1.40 m tall. Donkey fur is not waterproof, and so they must have shelter when it rains.

[edit] Gender

Ass: A male ass is called a Jackass and a female is called a Jenny. Donkey: A male donkey is called a Jacka and a female is called a Jenny.

[edit] Lifestyle of a donkey and an ass compared

Ass: Desert dwellers, wild asses often inhabit very arid regions that cannot support other large mammals. African wild asses are territorial, mature males (stallions) maintaining areas in which they are dominant over other asses. The only strong social bond is between the female and her foals, herds being formed only when individuals travel together casually. Kulans live in herds consisting of one stallion and several females with their young. These family groups join to form large herds during the winter season.

Donkey: Wild donkeys live separated from each other, unlike tight wild horse herds. Donkeys have developed very loud voices, which can be heard for over three kilometers, to keep in contact with other donkeys of their herd over the wide spaces of the desert.

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