Interesting facts about donkeys.
When people think of their favorite animal, very rarely will a donkey come to mind. Although these creatures are often forgotten and thought of as "boring" and "unintelligent" by many, there are several facts that make donkeys very interesting. Understanding more information about donkeys might just help them to become your favorite animal as well.
Relatives
Donkeys descend from Africa, from an animal known as the "African wild ass." This creature is currently only found in remote parts of northeast Africa and is nearly extinct. Close relatives to the donkey include horses, as well as zebras.
Wild Donkeys
Although donkeys are relatively slow, especially when compared to their distant relatives, horses, they still live and survive in the wild. Although people tend to associate donkeys with other domesticated species of animals, many donkeys run wild throughout the world, including the Kiang species that lives in India; the Somali, which resides in Africa; and the Onager, which lives throughout many parts of the Middle East.
Calls
One feature of donkeys that many people notice is their unusually loud ability to call. Donkeys are much louder than horses due to the fact that they did not evolve running in close herds. Donkeys do stick together, but over much larger distances; therefore, their call evolved to be very loud and can carry for over 3 kilometers. The large ears on donkeys also evolved to hear the calls from long distances.
Digestive System
Donkeys tend to live in areas where there is often very little vegetation or other materials for them to eat. Therefore donkeys developed methods of digestion that allow them to feed on many different varieties of vegetation. To gain water and nutrients from objects that are considered inedible vegetation, donkeys have a very strong digestive system that can break down these inedible objects, while extracting all useful nutrients.
Age
Donkeys have been known to live well over 25 years of age, with some even reaching well into their 40's and 50's. Their durability and longevity have allowed donkeys to be utilized for thousands of years as transportation animals.
Tags: favorite animal