Print Page

Donkey Sanctuary Information Sheet

Science - Ourselves

Information Sheet No. 11 – Types of donkeys

The horse and donkey are separate equine species, as is the zebra and they can all interbreed to produce hybrids.  The crossing of a zebra stallion and donkey mare is recorded as far back as the 1700s and has become popular in America in recent years.  The hybrid is referred to as a ‘Zonk’, ‘Zeedonk’ or ‘Zonkey’.

When the two separate species are interbred, the hybrid offspring is almost always sterile, due to the different number of chromosomes inherited from each parent (donkeys 62, horses 64, Grevy Zebra 46, mountain zebra 32).  Equine species do not interbreed in the wild.

Donkeys come in a range of colours and there are a surprising number of different breeds throughout the world, which differ greatly from the ‘seaside’ donkey we often see in Britain.  The Andalucian and Poitou are fine examples of the difference.

Sicilian Photo (to come) | Andalucian Photo (to come) | Poitui Photo (to come)