| Jackasses are formally called donkeys and belong to the class Mammalia, Equidae or the horse family, odd-toed ungulate (Perissodactila) order, belonging to same genus Equus as and with zebras but easily distinguishable from them with respect to appearance. On average, donkeys are small with a larger head, thin feet and long ears. The mane of a donkey is short in size, sticks out and is made of coarse hair, without forming a forelock. A donkey’s tail has the appearance of a brush at the end as in the case of cows. Wild donkeys are found in Asia and Africa. Accordingly, they represent various races of Asian (E. hemonius) or African (E. asinus) donkeys.
Wild donkeys are strongly built attractive animals. Wild donkeys gallop so quickly that sometimes even horses cannot catch up with them. Donkeys are herd animals: In Mongolia, their herds can consist of up to 1000 heads. They live much longer than horses – up to 25 – 47 years.
WILD DONKEYS:
Wild donkeys are found in Asia and Africa. In briskness, wild donkeys surpass horses and dromedary (Arabian camels). In older times, donkeys were considered as an attribute of a peaceful journey in contrast to horses, which symbolize a military campaign.
A domesticated donkey or ass (E. a. var. asinus), apparently, originated from the Somali donkey (E. a. var. somalicus), the domestication of which began in the late Stone Age approximately 6000 years ago. This is the first one of the pack of domesticated animals. Egyptians used them up to 3000 BC. In older days, the donkey was very popular in Palestine and is repeatedly mentioned in the Bible. It symbolized the peaceful purposes of travelers (for example, during popular flight in to Egypt, Maria with Joseph and the baby Christ) contrary to horse, which was considered then exclusively as a fighting racer.
Donkeys are very popular for their large ears, durability and loud lowing. The height at the shoulder is about 1.3m. The color is “mouse colored” (grayish brown) with a dark strip along the spine and the same humeral cross strip (“spinal cross”). Donkeys breed once a year. The donkey gives birth to one foal and very rarely twins. The pregnancy lasts for 270 to 280 days. Wild African donkeys are under the threat of extinction, hence are recorded in the International Red book as protected animals everywhere. The physical appearance of wild African donkeys is similar to that of the donkey.
A mule is a hybrid of a donkey and a mare, i.e. female horse. If the donkey gives birth from this stallion, the hybrid is called a “Hinny”. Unlike the mule, hinny is used very rarely in farms since it is much smaller in size and weaker than the mule. Hybrids inherit features of both parents. They have long ears, a tail with a brush, thin limbs and short mane, but by size and weight, they look similar to horses; the sound of the mule is similar to that of donkeys and distinguished by the same stubborn temperament. The height of hybrids at the shoulder constitutes 12 palms (palm - traditional unit of measurement in horse-breeding, equaling to 10.16 cm) and a weight of 270 kg (an average hinny) and up to 17.5 palms and 730 kg (as in well-grown horses). The majority of mules weigh from 520 to 635 kg.
Though the running speed of a mule is much less than that of the horse, it is steadier and can trek difficult roads and is also less whimsical. Behavior-wise, donkeys and mules have many things in common. For example, whipping is not required – better to persistently but softly urge it by working with reins.
It is possible to make the 3 yr old mule learn to do easy work without overloading it till it attains puberty at the age of 5 (the term “puberty” is used only conventionally since animals are always sterile as are the majority of inter-specific hybrids).
Mules have been used since prehistoric times. They are especially popular in Asia and also in Southeast USA and south of Europe, where they work on small-scale farms. Earlier they played an important role as a mode of transport in the army but now practically everywhere in the USA mules have been displaced by vehicles.
Asian wild donkeys are also called “Onager”. Several subspecies are also distinguished. The Persian Onager (E. h. onager or E. onager) is found on stony desert plateaus, extending from Iran and Syria up to the northwest of India. Its height at the shoulder is 1.2 m on average and the length of the head with barrel - 2 m. The ears are about 23cm in size and look much smaller than the ears of the donkey. The color of the Onager is a rust-color in summers and yellowish in winters, the brush at the tip of tail is clay-colored, the muzzle end and bottom portion of the body are white in color. The broad black strip is found along the spinal column; the “spinal cross” is expressed poorly; on the shins – there are several black cross strips. Females are smaller in size than males and the “Back cross” is absent in females. |
CNN today played the video everybody has been waiting for: President Obama calling Kanye West a jackass.
It is interesting that the White House would allow any television station to release this video.
After all, Obama is one of most manufactured, poll careful, image conscious President's ever.
But the White House was likely surprised and relieved at the positive response to Obama telling it like it is about Kanye.
