• Question: What is the biological difference between a horse and a donkey?

    Asked by XandyisBAE to David on 6 Mar 2018.
    • Photo: David Howard

      David Howard answered on 6 Mar 2018:

      Horses and donkeys belong to the Equus genus, but they are different species. The horse has 32 pairs of chromosomes and the donkey only has 31 pairs of chromosomes. There are physical differences, with horses being bigger and able to run faster as well as behavioral differences with donkeys being more chilled out. Drop me another message if you want any more info.

Comments

  • Photo: Stéphane

    Stéphane commented on :

    As David said they are different species due to their chromosome pairs difference.

    There is an interesting fact: a mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse whereas you get a hinny from a female donkey and a male horse. Both mules and hinnies are sterile: they cannot reproduce due to their chromosome issues. And, apparently, it is more difficult to get a hinny than a mule (all about fertilisation).

  • Photo: XandyisBAE

    XandyisBAE commented on :

    Wow. can i ask are there any major differences in their internal organs? as in, any specialised features?

    • Photo: David

      David commented on :

      According to the published literature many of the internal organs are similar. One difference I have came across is that the isthmus of the thyroid gland in the donkey is glandular, whereas in the horse it is generally fibrous.
      One specialised feature that comes up quite often relates to the anatomy of the respiratory system, salivary glands and teeth. The papers describing these differences don’t elaborate on the reasons for these changes, but one can suppose they are related to the diet or environment.
      There are also differences in the number of vertebrae between horses and donkeys.