Unleashed: Do You Know A Jackass When You See One? There's ...

Press photo/KATY BATDORFFJonah Schmiedicke sits on "Jack" at his family's farm during a recent visit there by Press photographer Katy Batdorff.

Do you know the difference between a donkey and burro? Better yet, a donkey and a mule? How about an ass?

Curious minds Monday wondered about such critical issues during our Grand Rapids Press morning news meeting. OK, I confess: I brought it up, after seeing a wonderful photo by Katy Batdorff, running in today's paper with the story on Gowen's Little Flower Farm. It's a picture of a little kid riding a mule. Or donkey. Or burro. Or ass. I'm not sure which it is, which was the point of asking the question.

But through the miracle of Google (or, as my partner lovingly refers to it, "The Google Machine"), you, too, can become an expert in the field of asses. And believe me, I already know far more than I bargained for with my simple, stupid question (including the fact that whomever said "There is no such thing as a stupid question" probably asked a lot of them).

An ass is what we consider a donkey, except that it's wild. So, donkeys are domesticated asses: four-footed, hoofed mammals related to the horse, but smaller, with longer ears and a shorter mane, shorter hair on the tail, and a dark stripe along the back.

A mule is a cross between a horse and donkey. However, it's a cross between a mare (a female horse) and a jack (a male donkey, thus the name jackass). Apparently, it's pretty rare for a male horse and female donkey (called a jenny, BTW) to hook up and produce offspring. But when it does happen, the result is called hinny. And offspring of either pairing are almost always sterile.

A burro, it turns out, is simply a small donkey. The word is Spanish for donkey.

I'm sure glad I cleared that one up. Problem is, I still don't know if the animal in the picture with today's story is a donkey, a mule, a burro or a hinny. But I'm sure it's no wild ass.

Now, if you ever get to be on the game show Jeopardy!, keep this info handy in case the Final Jeopardy! category is "Donkeys and horses." Then wager everything.

E-mail Mary Ullmer: [email protected] and follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/PressUnleashed