Horse and donkey | What is the difference
At first glance, the horse and the donkey appear to be somewhat similar, and although both the horse and the donkey have some things in common, these two creatures are completely different, but both belong to the sex of equids, and after knowing the difference between a horse and a donkey, you will find that it is easy to distinguish between them. Follow this article with us to learn the difference between a horse and a donkey together.
Horse and donkey voice:
Even without looking at both the horse and the donkey, you can know both of them by their distinctive sounds, and although the horse utters soft sounds called whinnying, the donkey has a remarkably different and unique sound called the braying, and some experts have explained that the donkey's braying is a product of eating air Audible followed by a strong flow that produces the donkey sound most people know.
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Physical qualities of a horse and a donkey:
The horse and donkey are similar in appearance and it is clear that they come from the same family, but when you compare closely to find the difference between a horse and a donkey, you will notice clear differences. The donkey’s ears are long and thick compared to the smaller and thinner horse’s ears, and also the horse’s eyes are smaller than the donkey’s eye with a forehead. Narrower than the forehead of a donkey, the horse has six vertebrae in its back, while a donkey has only five.
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The donkey’s hooves are smaller and have a vertical box-like shape compared to the larger, oval horse’s hooves, and most types of horses have long tails with separate strands of hair, but the donkey’s tail looks more like a cow’s tail in the upper two-thirds with a mass of coarse hair on the lower part of the tail. The donkey is flattest than the horse.
Most of the time, he cannot carry the saddle, unlike a horse, so the back of the donkey is not wrapped like a horse, and at first glance you may not think that this is a big difference, but if you intend to place the saddle over the back of the donkey, you will not be able to use your horse’s saddle, and you will need To a special saddle made especially for donkey, and because the horse saddle is designed to fit the horse's wide ribs and back rotation.
Horse and donkey behavior:
The behavior of both the horse and the donkey is completely different from each other, the horse is moody, and it is among the animals that live in groups, while the male donkey can be aggressive and this is part of their nature, and the males must be completely separate from other animals unless they reproduce, and the donkey interacts in a way. Different with more fear-provoking stimuli than what a horse does, and the donkey will freeze in such situations, and this reaction has given it its stubborn reputation and makes it necessary to take a different approach when handling and training the donkey.
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Both the horse and the donkey are social beings, but the horse is an animal that lives in a herd and prefers to live in a larger group, while the donkey tends to pair up, meaning it lives in pairs and forms a strong bond with one of its kind, and the horse has a very strong escape response and will continue to run away. Of any potential danger, but a donkey is more difficult to amaze and will look at the risks before deciding to either run or turn.
Horse and donkey chromosomes:
Chromosomes are something that you cannot see with the naked eye in both the horse and the donkey, but the number of chromosomes that each carries is different, so the donkey has 62 chromosomes, and the horse has 64 chromosomes, and the horse and donkey can mate, but the offspring is usually sterile, and for For the hybrid offspring to be fertile, both parents must have the same number of chromosomes.
Qualities of the donkey
the shape
A donkey is smaller than a horse, but it is closer to a mule, and it has a large head, and its tail is short, and at the end of it is a tuft of hair, and it has small hooves, its ears are long, and its hearing is sharp, due to the large size of its ears, but its eyes are more forward-facing than the horse.
Length and volume
Donkeys differ in their size, as their length ranges between 0.9-1.4 meters, the mammoth donkey is the longest type of donkey, and the Andalusian donkey may reach a length of 1.6 meters.
Fur
The scalp of the domesticated donkey is dark in most cases, but it is white in the abdomen, the front of the head, and the circumference of the eyes, for example the Egyptian donkey is white, and the Berry donkey is dark brown, and is distinguished by the presence of the cross of Saint Andrei on its back, and therefore the colors of the wild donkey are many ; Including: brown, reddish brown, sandy like the Tibetan donkey.
The way of living
The wild donkey lives independently, unlike the neighboring horses, and it may live to the age of forty years.
Diseases
The donkey is more sensitive to hoofitis when the amount of food provided to it increases. In general, it suffers from the same diseases as the genus Achilles.
the sound
The donkey is distinguished by its sharp voice, which is called the bray, and it uses it to communicate with the rest of the donkeys, and it can be heard from three kilometers away, while the zebra often uses it to frighten while hitting its back legs, in the case of self-defense.
Reproduction
The period of pregnancy of the donkey is 11 months, and it is subject to marriage throughout the year, and in most cases she gives birth to one Hajj, and the percentage of her birth to twins reaches 1.7% and may live by 14%, and it is worth mentioning that the mating of donkeys between them gives a donkey, but when a male donkey is married with a female The horse (the mare) results in a mule, which is sterile and does not give birth.
the food
The donkey feeds on grass and grains, and the colt can eat adult food during a month of breastfeeding, and after four months it can give up its mother’s milk, and a small donkey is considered an adult after four years.
