What’s a Donkey?
And What’s a Burro?
A burro is a small, wild (rather than domesticated) donkey. And burro is Spanish for donkey.
Here is a 38 second video of wild burros outside Las Vegas, Nevada…
What’s Different About a Mule?
Less common, a male horse crossed with a female donkey is a hinny. The body of a hinny somewhat resembles a donkey, but has a head more like a horse.
And a Jackass
So a jackass is an irritating human, right? Well, a male donkey is called a jack and a female is a jenny or a jennet. Hence, a jack-ass (or jackass) is a male donkey.
Next!
So what’s the difference between a vulture and a buzzard. Ah, that is another matter…
Note: You might also enjoy How the Electric Eel Produces Electricity
References:
I hadn’t heard of burros before, nor did I know that a jackass was a male donkey!
Thank you for the explanation….my partner and I were discussing it this afternoon
in the car and always wondered. Great article!
Thanks! I do appreciate a kind response. Thanks.
My wife and I were wondering about that at the park today.
Wild Donkeys are also very common in the Black Hills of South Dakota, most notably in Custer State Park. And yes, they are also very good at mooching!
We have a 2 year old fixed/male mule. His name is River and he is very active. So when he started slowing down one week we called the vet. They came and took blood and said his sugar level was high. Going into diabetes maybe. He has always been on grass hay, nothing rich, we feed this to our alpacas too. He would get small amount of pellets and his hay. My husband is a feeder. He would give our 2 donkeys and this mule carrots everyday. Could that sugar cause what our mule is going thru right now?
I am not a veterinarian, though I am a chemist and have some knowledge of, not only that, but the human body. Assuming that understanding is of value, I would say there are probably two ways of having too much sugar in the system. One is insufficient insulin. A normal diet can include such foods as you mention. If a person has too little insulin, it is essential to adjust sugar input. It’s not that the sugar (the variety of food taken in) causes the diabetes, but that once diabetes is present, it becomes necessary to make adjustments for it by reducing sugar intake and certain other caloric foods.
And in French, a hinny is, surprisingly, a bardot, although not perhaps the one you’re thinking of! Great piece and gorgeous film.