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What the sources say

DonkeyEquus asinus

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Donkey profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 53 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

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Source
01

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

Equus asinus (ass). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

The page sayshee-haw can travel up to 3 km
The source saysDonkeys use a "hee-haw" sound that can travel up to 3 km away.
The page saysA hee-haw that can travel up to 3 km
The source saysDonkeys use a "hee-haw" sound that can travel up to 3 km away.
The page saysDomesticated worldwide
The source saysAsses have also been domesticated worldwide, where they are commonly referred to as donkeys
The page sayswith feral groups in the United States
The source saysDomesticated and feral donkeys in the Unites states are hunted by coyotes
The page saysGrasses, forbs and browsing plants
The source saysdonkeys consume a variety of grasses, forbs, and browsing plants in the United States
The page saysNot Evaluated
The source saysAsses have also been domesticated worldwide, where they are commonly referred to as donkeysNote: stats.conservationStatus. The page says asses have been domesticated worldwide and are called donkeys, so no Red List category applies. GBIF's Equus asinus Linnaeus, 1758 shows no threat status, checked 2026-09-29; not cited. The African wild ass (Equus africanus) is a separate Critically Endangered assessment and is not the donkey's. Precedent goat, domestic-cat: no IUCN reference.
The page saysin the family that also holds horses and zebras
The source saysFamily Equidae asses, horses, and zebras
The page saysThey talk with their bodies, sounds and smells
The source saysThey use their body, sound, and smell to convey feeling.
The page sayspinned back for anger, perked forward for alertness, one forward and one back for curiosity
The source saysTheir ears can be pinned back to show anger, perked forward to show alertness, or one ear forward and one ear back to show curiosity.
The page saysA quick tail swish shows annoyance
The source saysThey will use their tail to show annoyance by swishing it back and forth quickly.
The page saysMales also use calls to tell females they are ready to mate
The source saysThe male will use the vocalization as a way to call to the females when he is ready to mate.
The page saysDonkeys use a "hee-haw" sound that can travel up to 3 km away
The source saysDonkeys use a "hee-haw" sound that can travel up to 3 km away.
The page saysTheir hearing is good enough to detect these calls at such distances
The source saysThese animals have a good sense of hearing that can detect these calls at such distances.
The page saysMales are very territorial
The source saysMales are very territorial
The page saysThey bite rival males that enter
The source saysThe males defending their territory will bite other males who pose a threat and have entered their territory
The page sayspiles of dung mark the boundaries
The source saysThey leave piles of dung to mark their territory boundaries.
The page saysA donkey stands 110 to 140 cm tall at the shoulder
The source saysBoth African wild asses and domestic donkeys have a shoulder height range between 110 and 140 cm.
The page saysMass is not often reported
The source saysThe mass is not often reported
The page saysOne study of five adult females averaged 320 kg
The source saysPiccione et al. (2008) reported the average mass of 5 adult females as 320 +/- 15 kg.Note: Quote's 'average' is the study's mean, stated as such in the claim.
The page saysA newborn foal weighs 20 to 34 kg
The source saysThe foal birth weight range is from 20 to 34 kg.
The page saysSmall hooves help them cross rocky ground and keep steady footing in the mountains
The source saysThey have small hooves that allow them to navigate around the rocky areas. It also allows them to have steady footing when traveling in the mountains.
The page saysThey are herbivores
The source saysDonkeys are herbivores.
The page saystheir molars are wide with blunt, shallow grooves that grind plants down
The source saysThe wide shape and blunt, shallow grooves of their molars help grind up the material
The page saysA study of donkeys in the United States found them eating grasses, forbs and browsing plants as the seasons changed
The source saysWoodward and Ohmart (1976) found that donkeys consume a variety of grasses, forbs, and browsing plants in the United States during different seasons.
The page saysarrowweed and mesquite making up 50% of their diet
The source saysArrowweed (Pluchea sericea) and mesquite (Prosopis) make up 50% of their diet.Note: Same paragraph as the Woodward and Ohmart (1976) study of US donkeys, so the sentence scopes it to that study.
The page saysA typical herd holds one male and ten females
The source saysa typical herd contains one male and ten females
The page saysDonkeys form groups to reduce the risk of predation and help keep the young safe
The source saysDonkeys get into groups to reduce the risk of predation and to help keep their young safe.
The page saysdonkeys investigate before reacting, then trot or gallop away if it is real
The source saysDonkeys mainly walk when they move around but, when threatened, trot or gallop away. When threats do occur, donkeys investigate the situation, before reacting, to determine if it is actually threatening or not.Note: ADW says donkeys 'mainly walk' when moving about; the sentence only claims the threat response, which the quote states unhedged.
The page saysDonkeys now live with people worldwide
The source saysAsses have also been domesticated worldwide, where they are commonly referred to as donkeys
The page saysA female donkey carries her foal for about 370 days
The source saysThe gestation period is about 370 days.
The page saysShe usually has one at a time, and twins are rare
The source saysFemales have one foal at a time but, on rare occasions, they can have twins.
The page saysA newborn weighs between 20 and 34 kg
The source saysFoals have a birth weight range of between 20 to 34 kg.
The page saysFarmers use them to protect other animals from coyotes, red foxes, bobcats and mountain lions
The source saysDomesticated donkeys are used as guard animals for livestock. Donkeys protect the animals from coyotes, red foxes, bobcats, and mountain lions
The page saysThe donkey chases the intruder off or kicks it
The source saysby chasing or kicking the unwanted predator
The page saysA donkey's hee-haw can travel up to 3 km
The source saysDonkeys use a "hee-haw" sound that can travel up to 3 km away.Note: vibe.reason
The page saysother donkeys can hear it that far away
The source saysThese animals have a good sense of hearing that can detect these calls at such distances.Note: vibe.reason
The page saysdangerLevel: Medium
The source saysDonkeys have been known to bite and kick humans. The majority of the injuries humans sustain from donkeys do not cause lasting damage.Note: stats.dangerLevel, task #986: can injure (bites, kicks), rarely seriously, which is Medium's definition word for word; Low would say harmless

Source
02

AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Build 15, Human Ageing Genomic Resources

AnAge entry for Equus asinus. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Build 15, Human Ageing Genomic Resources.

The page saysthe AnAge database lists about 165 kg for the species
The source saysAdult weight 164,998 gNote: 164,998 g is about 165 kg (AnAge, average adult weight, entry for the species).
The page saysDonkeys have been reported to live up to 47 years, though claims of animals past 50 are doubtful
The source saysDonkeys, however, have been reported to live up to 47 years ... anecdotal reports of animals living over 50 years are doubtful.
The page saysweightKg: 165
The source saysAdult weight 164,998 gNote: battleStats.weightKg, task #986: AnAge's species-wide adult weight; ADW's 320 kg is five adult females in one study. Both are Heavy (100 to 1000 kg), so the class does not hang on the choice

Source
03

Todd et al. 2022

Todd et al. (2022). The genomic history and global expansion of domestic donkeys. Science.

The page saysdomesticated in Africa around 5000 BCE
The source sayssupports a single domestication in Africa ~5000 BCE
The page saysA 2022 genome study of 207 modern and 31 ancient donkeys supports a single domestication in Africa around 5000 BCE
The source sayswe constructed a comprehensive genome panel of 207 modern and 31 ancient donkeys, as well as 15 wild equids. We found a strong phylogeographic structure in modern donkeys that supports a single domestication in Africa ~5000 BCENote: 2022 is the reference's year (Science, 2022).
The page saysThe animals then spread across Africa and Eurasia, and finally returned to Africa
The source saysfollowed by further expansions in this continent and Eurasia and ultimately returning to Africa
The page saysessential beasts of burden for long-distance movement, especially in semi-arid and upland country
The source saysDonkeys transformed human history as essential beasts of burden for long-distance movement, especially across semi-arid and upland environments.
The page saysdonkey breeders produced giant bloodlines when mules were essential to the Roman economy and military
The source saysDonkey management involved inbreeding and the production of giant bloodlines at a time when mules were essential to the Roman economy and military.
The page saysIn Africa, around 5000 BCE, in a single domestication
The source sayswe constructed a comprehensive genome panel of 207 modern and 31 ancient donkeys, as well as 15 wild equids. We found a strong phylogeographic structure in modern donkeys that supports a single domestication in Africa ~5000 BCENote: Figures and scope from the same quote; the FAQ's 'hundreds of living and ancient donkeys' is 207 modern plus 31 ancient (238).
The page saysThe same 2022 study found a previously unknown lineage in the Levant around 200 BCE that added ancestry to donkeys heading toward Asia
The source saysWe uncover a previously unknown genetic lineage in the Levant ~200 BCE, which contributed increasing ancestry toward Asia.Note: 2022 is the reference's year (Science, 2022).
The page saysDomesticated once, around 5000 BCE
The source sayssupports a single domestication in Africa ~5000 BCE
The page saysgoing by the DNA of hundreds of
The source sayswe constructed a comprehensive genome panel of 207 modern and 31 ancient donkeysNote: 'hundreds' = 207 modern plus 31 ancient, 238 donkeys.

Source
04

Bennett et al. 2022

Bennett et al. (2022). The genetic identity of the earliest human-made hybrid animals, the kungas of Syro-Mesopotamia. Science Advances.

The page saysCuneiform tablets from Mesopotamia record the breeding of prized equids called kungas for diplomacy, ceremony and warfare
The source saysBefore the introduction of domestic horses in Mesopotamia in the late third millennium BCE, contemporary cuneiform tablets and seals document intentional breeding of highly valued equids called kungas for use in diplomacy, ceremony, and warfare.
The page saysDNA from a 4,500-year-old equid buried in Syria
The source saysMorphometric analysis of equids uncovered in rich Early Bronze Age burials at Umm el-Marra, Syria ... We sequenced the genomes of one of these ~4500-year-old equids
The page sayskungas were first-generation hybrids between female donkeys and male Syrian wild asses
The source saysWe conclude that kungas were F1 hybrids between female domestic donkeys and male hemippesNote: The same abstract glosses hemippe as Syrian wild ass: 'an ~11,000-year-old Syrian wild ass (hemippe)'. F1 = first generation.
The page saysthe earliest evidence of hybrid animal breeding
The source saysthus documenting the earliest evidence of hybrid animal breeding

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.