The zonkey is a cross between a zebra and a donkey. Usually you find that a zonkey has a zebra father (called a sire) and a donkey mother (called a dam). The offspring of a donkey father and zebra mother are called a “zedonk,” or sometimes a “donkra.” The offspring of a horse and a zebra is called a Zorse. The technical name for the offspring of mixed animals is called a hybrid.
Zebra/donkey hybrids sometimes happen naturally in nature. In South Africa, where zebras and donkeys live close to each other, sometimes one gets a baby zonkey in the wild, but they are exceptionally rare. Scientists have bred Zonkey hybrids in captivity since the 19th century.
Zonkeys look just like a small horse. They are often a tan, brown, or grey colour, but their bellies are a lighter colour underneath. The zonkey’s darker stripes (the stripes from the zebra) can be better seen on these lighter parts of their underbody and on their legs.
They usually have a black mane which runs the entire length of the ridge of their back to the tip if their tail. Their tail is also most often a black colour. How can you tell that these mixed (hybrid) breeds are zonkeys? Look at their head and ears; if the head is large and the ears long and standing upright then you will know!
The zonkey is an animal most people only see in a zoo. They are called a “curiosity” because it is very unusual to see this funny mixed animal. If they are in a zoo, then you know that zoo-keepers have been busy putting a donkey and a zebra in a field together in the hopes that they will make baby zonkeys.
The first occasion a zonkey became a public curiosity was when an accidental birth took place in 1970 in a zoo in England. In the wild, the zonkey would live in the same habitat that zebras live in; the savanna and open woodlands.
Zonkeys are very strong, and very fast animals. They can run at least 35 miles per hour (mph).
Zonkeys eat only plants; their diet is mostly long grass and herbs that grow on the ground. Their broad teeth help them graze on the tough wild grass leaves. Sometimes they may strip small trees and shrubs of berries and fruits. They spend a lot of their time moving from area to area to find food, especially if their herd (group) is big.
Donkeys are a domestic animal – this means they live with people, but zebras are wild animals with bad tempers. The zonkey is an animal that acts like a donkey and is easily trained, but people still have to be careful because the zonkey can also be a very bad-tempered animal (like the zebra) and they bite!
