There are some members of the animal kingdom who really do get all the headlines when it comes to how interested we are in them. The likes of lions and giraffes for example, or tigers and elephants, people seem to be more fascinated in them than they are in caterpillars and shrews, or pigeons and squirrels. With this being said however there are often some interesting facts that we can find about some of these lesser loved animals, and today we are going to be focusing on just that.
With the support of the fabulous guys at the ISPMB, which is the International Society for the Protection of Mustangs and Burros, we have some awesome facts about donkeys which you are going to just love. These may not get the same attention as some of the other animals, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t still some cool facts about them out there.
Burros, Donkeys Etc.
There are a number of terms which you may hear when it comes to this animal, such as Jackass, Mule, Donkey, Ass and Burro. To break these down you simply need to think of things like this; a donkey and an ass are the same thing, this comes from their Latin name ‘asinus’. The word burro means donkey in Spanish, but in English we use the word burro to refer to donkeys which are wild, and often living in places where they shouldn’t be living. A mule is the mix between a female donkey and a male horse and a Jackass is simply a male ass, Jacks are boys and Jennys are girls.
Hearing For Miles
Donkeys have floppy ears which you may think is what gives them such great hearing, but this isn’t in fact the case. Those floppy ears are actually to keep the temperature down. With this being said, donkeys do in fact have outstanding hearing and they can hear, under the right conditions, for as far away as 60 miles. That is absolutely incredible and it is also why you should never say bad things about a donkey, no matter how far away you think that they are.
Stubborn Myth
If you have heard the phrase ‘stubborn as a mule’ before then you may assume that donkeys are stubborn, but they are actually not. This comes from the way in which donkeys will freeze when scared and investigate what is going on before taking action. This appears like they are being stubborn when in fact they are simply being inquisitive.
Making The Most of IT
Amazingly, donkeys will use up the nutrients of 95% of all that they consume. This is because food is often very scarce in their habitats and so they need to ensure that they are getting the absolute max out of every mouthful. These animals eat grass and the occasional shrub, and the drain every nutrient they can find out of it.
What more would you like to know about these gorgeous little creatures?
