J.C. Mattingly: Socratic Rancher

In speaking with people, I find there is a lot of confusion about the difference between a donkey, a jackass, and a burro. There shouldn't be a problem because these three are all the same species, Africanus asinus, also known as the Ass Family. This brings a smile, or chuckle to our face, especially when we look at one of the members of this family as he or she wiggles their long ears, or rolls their doleful eyes, or speaks to us with the inimitable bellow of the Consummate Country Caruso. Generally speaking, the donkey is the larger, sometimes referred to as the Mammoth Ass, while the jackass is the middle-sized, and the burro the smallest. There are miniature donkeys that are smaller even than the typical burro. If these fail to provide a positive ID to the observer, there is a legal definition of a burro, found in Appendix B of the “Rules In Pack Burro Racing.” “The following is the definition of a burro and is to be used in selecting a burro. The word ‘burro' comes from the Spanish word meaning ‘donkey.' A donkey is defined as being an ass. They have chestnuts on the forelegs only, while other animals of the same species such as mules or horses, have them on hind and forelegs. The tail of an ass has no hair except on its lower part, which has a brush. A registered veterinarian shall have the authority to disqualify any contestant and animal that does not match the above description, or whose animal is sick, doped, injured, or mistreated. The veterinarian will check the animal before and after the race.” DNA and proxy testing date the wild burro back to well over 10,000 BC, a period of massive mammalian speciation on Earth. There is evidence from Egyptologists that burros were domesticated by the Near East 4,000-5,000 BC as beasts of burden...more