Donkeys are not dumber than horses, just different

Why does the donkey have such a poor intellectual reputation? Scientific studies comparing donkeys and horses in areas such as spatial intelligence, learning, and memory have found that the two species are quite similar. So we’ll have to look elsewhere for an explanation — and to do so, we need to let go of our biases and really get to know donkeys.

Domestic donkeys descend from the African wild ass, which lived in semi-arid mountains, where life was anything but easy. These environments were defined by sparse vegetation, scattered water sources, and widely fluctuating temperatures. This rugged terrain stood in sharp contrast to the open, grassy plains inhabited by wild horses. As a result, despite their close genetic relationship, horses and donkeys are not as alike as they might seem.

In the plains, natural resources are often abundant enough for large horse herds to form, with stallions maintaining harems of mares. In contrast, the environment where donkeys evolved forced them to spread out and adapt to living in very small groups — or even alone.

Wild donkeys also had to communicate across long distances, which is why they evolved such large noses and ears: to produce and hear their famously loud bray. Their strong jaws helped them chew woody mountain shrubs, while wide, muscular necks were needed to support their heavy heads. Shorter limbs made them better suited to navigating difficult terrain than to running at high speeds.

Their environment also shaped their temperament. Donkeys are known by veterinarians for being extremely stoic. They feel pain just like other animals, but express it much more subtly. So under hard, exhausting labor, they tend to complain less.

According to a 2022 article in Science, donkeys were domesticated only once — around 7,000 years ago in northeast Africa, just as the Sahara was turning into a desert. Humanity was undergoing major transformations at the time: cities were expanding, production was becoming more specialized, trade was booming, and warfare was intensifying. The donkey quickly spread across Eurasia. It arrived in South America in the 15th century from Spain and North Africa, and reached North America in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Donkeys were the perfect tool for the time. Their features may have made them seem less elegant than horses, but their strength, endurance, and stoicism made them ideal pack animals.

While horses carried kings and war heroes, took part in races, and accompanied ladies on their strolls, donkeys worked the land with peasants. Horses became symbols of spirit, freedom, and courage; donkeys of submission, labor, and servitude. Horses came to represent wealth, donkeys poverty.

Yet if we think about it, donkeys have arguably been more useful and productive for humanity than horses. Still, their humble role led people to view them as unintelligent. The farmer working the fields in silence was seen as mentally inferior to the nobleman who had the leisure to ponder nature.

Even today, donkeys are more often associated with poverty than with wealth. Of the 50 million donkeys in the world, most live in developing countries. Sub-Saharan Africa, northern India, and tropical Latin America have seen donkey populations rise over the past three decades, while numbers have declined sharply in the Mediterranean region and in China.

Another aspect of donkey biology also contributed to their image as dumb. We call impulsive, unthinking people who lash out “donkeys.” To understand this, we must return to the environment of the African wild ass.

When you live on plains with your herd, fleeing is the best defense against predators. But in rough, rocky landscapes, where you’re alone and vulnerable, and not quick on your feet, the best course of action is to attack. That’s why donkeys are more likely than horses to turn aggressive when threatened.

What’s more, male wild donkeys also used to claim territory around water sources to attract mates. This helps explain why domestic donkeys can be territorial and may attack other animals they don’t recognize as part of their group. This trait has even been put to use — around the world, donkeys have been employed as guardians to protect goats, sheep, and other livestock from predators.

However, donkeys can also be deeply affectionate with those they bond with. One unique social behavior among donkeys is “pair bonding”: a donkey may form a close emotional bond with another individual — whether a donkey or another equid. Among animals, most pairings are based on mating or kinship, as individuals of the same sex often establish a strong friendship.

Now, our perception of the donkey may be shifting thanks to science. In recent years, the study of animal minds has undergone a revolution. While there’s still an ocean of knowledge to explore, more and more species are being put to the test for their cognitive abilities. Donkeys have been studied far less than horses, but the research that does exist shows they are in no way inferior.

Interestingly, mules are outperforming both horses and donkeys in cognitive tests. The effects of hybridization on an organism can vary: traits may be inherited from one parent, fall somewhere in between, or even surpass both. It’s long been known that mules are stronger and more resilient than their parent species — and now it seems that advantage may extend to intelligence as well.

The truth is, there’s still much to learn. We’re far from fully understanding why mules are smarter or uncovering the full cognitive potential of donkeys. But what we do know is that big ears, stoicism, endurance, and fieldwork don’t mean an animal is dumb.

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