Origin and History
The most probable ancestor of the domestic donkey is the Nubian subspecies of African wild ass. The earliest known remains of the domestic donkey date to the fourth millennium BC from a site at Ma'adi, Lower Egypt. Donkeys were kept in great herds in ancient Egypt. The donkey was dispersed out of the Nile Valley and eventually reached all habitable continents. Donkeys were in Southwest Asia by the end of the fourth millennium BC. A supply ship to Christopher Columbus on his second voyage brought the first donkeys to the New World in 1495.

Description
Physical
Donkey's ears are much longer in proportion to their size than a horse’s. The necks are characteristically straighter in the long-ears, and most donkeys lack a true wither and due to this their back is straighter. Most donkeys, regardless of coat color, will have dorsal stripes and shoulder crosses, dark ear marks, as well as the white muzzle and eye rings, and a white belly and inner leg.