Raissa Kamala Mulyanto
Ibu Kerensa
English/Biology
7A
15 October 2021
Horses and Donkeys: Compare and Contrast
Some people believe that there are no differences between donkeys and horses. With their physical similarities, of course people say they are the same thing. But if you observe deeply, their strength, speed, and how agile they are making a big difference on how people use them for. Their face long as a banana, their long backs can carry up to three people. One of the differences that almost everybody can tell between them is their size. Usually, donkeys are smaller than horses, its hair is much rough and only shows very little. So, in this essay, I’ll be discussing about the similarities and differences of the horses and the donkeys’ taxonomy, behavior, and physical characteristics.
Besides physical characteristics and behavior, taxonomy also counts. These two animals, of course comes from the same kingdoms, Animalia. Other than kingdom, horses and donkeys have the same phylum (Chordata), class (Mammalia), order (Perissodactyla), family (Equidae). Yes, donkeys and horses share big similarities. That goes the same thing with they’re genus, Equus. When it comes to species, there is separation between them. The species of a horse is Equus caballus. Meanwhile the species of a donkey is Equus africanus. Species is the basic unit within classification and taxonomic rank, that is the only difference we have of taxonomy between horses and donkeys.
There are more to than taxonomy, yes, physical features. Both donkeys and horses have shared great similarity. Of course, people can tell them, but can they sport the difference? A lot of people can tell the difference is they observe deeply. That is, their sizes and appearance. Even a grown-up donkey is far smaller than a horse. A horses’ hair is seen as majestic as a castle you might say, their faces seem rather stretched and long. The donkey’s hair, however, is rough, stiff, and short. They both have large ears, but a donkeys’ is much thicker. The thickness of their fur is equal. Donkeys apparently has bigger eyes, meanwhile a horse’s eyes are small like beads. A horse’s back contains six vertebrae, and a donkey only has five. Their tails share a difference, a donkey’s tail is far shorter than a horse. As you can see, horses and donkeys share big differences in physical features.
But how about behavior? Yes, they do have differences and similarities. Horses is one of the social animals. They tend to live in herds, when living in a herd they feel a safe sensation. They also feel like they have a rich social life, considering how they are socially active, their social life is rather important. Donkeys, however, is not as socially active as horses are. Donkeys prefer to live with their own kind. Horses and donkeys are aware of danger, and when noticing they run away. Although both reflexes have different timing. Horses gets startled easily, no matter if it’s a mouse or a hamster. When they hear a sound, they automatically feel danger is coming and run away. For donkeys, one might say that they have slow and weak reflexes, it’ll take a while for them to get startled and run away. Often in movies and TV shows, donkeys hear something but doesn’t feel danger. Scenes like that are scientifically correct with a donkeys’ behavior.
In conclusion, even if some people think that donkeys and horses share almost no differences, facts about their taxonomy, physical features and behavior proves them wrong. Starting off with the taxonomy, they both have same family and genus, but their species is different. A horses’ is Equus caballus, and a donkeys’ is a Equus africanus. There are not many differences when describing their taxonomy. Donkeys have less vertebrae than horses, rough hair, smaller hooves, and thick ears. Horses has six vertebrae, thin ears, bigger hooves, and silky hair. Donkeys have weak reflexes and prefer to live with their own kind. Horses are highly socially animals, and they have strong reflexes. When these information above are mentioned, we all could clearly see the differences and similarities between a horse and a donkey.
Works Cited
Elle Di Jensen, animals.mom.com, What is Different About a Horse & A Donkey
thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk, Understanding Donkey Behavior
kb.rspca.org.au, What Are the Key Things I Should Understand About Horse Behavior
Writtes by:
Raissa Kamala Mulyanto from 7A
very cool! I never know that horses and donkeys have many similarities