Ass

Description

The asses have certain common points:

they are smaller than the Cheval;
their ears longer than those of the others are équidé S;
their eyes are directed towards before those of the domestic horses;
them dress is generally gray except on the belly, the muzzle and the contour of the eyes which are white. Domestic races can be with dominant black, like the black of Berry, or brown ass, like the ass mulassier of Poitou, or white, like the white ass of Egypt. The gray races have also a black cross which takes shape on their back, called “Croix of saint André”. The wild species present a dress going of the gray to brown-sand, even brown-red at the kiang or wild ass of the Tibet.

Various species

Certain morphological differences, like the head, the neck or the legs, make it possible to distinguish the species:

the common ass ( Equus asinus ) is cosmopolitan.
the Hémione ( Equus hemionus ) lives in central Asia and was certainly domesticated;
the onager ( Equus onager ) or wild ass of India lives in India and in the countries bordering on the North-West. It could be only one subspecies of the precedent;
the Kiang meets in the the Himalayas;
the wild ass of Africa ( Equus africanus) lives in East Africa, in particular in Somalia;

The domestic ass formed of the wild populations become again in Australia and America: it is the phenomenon of the marronnage.

There exists an endemic species of ass Albinos in the small island of Asinara located off the north-western coast of the Sardinia.

In France

In France, seven races of asses are recognized officially by the Ministry for Agriculture and the National stud farms:

the Donkey of Poitou which measures between 1,40 and 1,56 m with the garrot and weighs from 300 to 410 kg; its dress is hairy and goes from the brown Bai to the black, the ears are large and in range

the Great Black of Berry which measures between 1,35 and 1,45 m with the garrot; its dress is bai brown with bai brown dark without crucial band (band of dark hairs through the garrot) nor Raie of mule (band of dark hairs along the back) and without stripes; the belly is gray-white as well as the end of the nose and the contour of the eyes, the ears of great dimension and well right-hand sides;

the ass of Cotentin which measures between 1,15 and 1,35 m with the garrot; its dress is gray ashy, gray bluish or turtle-dove with or without stripes on the members and stripes mule or bandages crucial; the belly is gray-white, the ears are sunk on contours and at the base;

the ass of Normandy which measures of 1,10 to 1,25 m with the garrot; its dress is bai brown with crucial band, the belly is gray-white, the quite open ears of good dimension with the clearer interior, and the eye has a white contour;

the ass of Provence which measures between 1,20 and 1,33 m with the garrot; its dress is with dominant gray turtle-dove which can vary very clear gray with the moderate very dark gray the russet-red one and of chestnut with a well marked crucial band; the turn of the eyes is often white as well as the end of the lips and the neck is thick;

the ass of the Pyrenees (including/understanding the two types Gascon and Catalan) which is of big size because it can measure until 1,60 m with the garrot; its dress is black shining with bai brown dark with the end of the nose, the contour of the faded eyes and the belly; the hair is very close-cropped, the ears are large and well right-hand sides;

the ass Bourbonnais which measures of 1,18 to 1,32 with the garrot and which is squat with a long tail; its dress is moderate in tons chocolate with a crucial band and the belly and the end of the gray nose with clear gray.

Reproduction

The term of donkey indicates a reproductive ass, whatever its race: it is thus not limited to the Baudet of Poitou.

The gestation of the she-ass lasts 12 to 13 month, sometimes a little more. (Compared with the 10 to 12 months for the mare).
It is in heats every 4 weeks during all the year.

Hybrid S of the ass:

Bardot or bardine: she-ass + standard
mule or mule: ass + Mare
Zébrâne or donzèbre: ass + Zebra

Use of the ass

The domestic ass had the same functions a long time that the Cheval but it was less expensive because it was satisfied with little on the food level; the poorest peasants thus preferred it with the horse, from where its nickname of “horse of poor”. Moreover, the ass can move in very escarpés places, also it was used for doors goods transport towards the cottages highest perched of the creeks of Marseilles, for example.

Harnessed, gone up or Pack E, the ass was used a long time like means of transport. It is employed more and more today to ensure the Portage businesses of the hikers in Montagne. In the Cevennes massive , this use tourist finds its inspiration in a book of Robert Louis Stevenson, Voyage with an ass in the Cevennes .

The Ass's milk is regarded as nearest to that of the woman. One can also eat his meat and produce sausage of it, in particular in Provence.

Culture associated with the ass

The ass always had an important place in the life of the people the Mediterranean NS. Today still, it is a whole Symbole in Provence and is even crowned in Corsica. The subspecies of Catalan ass is a symbol of the Catalogne.

If one associates the ass with the silly thing, certainly because of his obstinacy but also because of experiment of thought of the ass of Buridan , it is actually a sensitive and intelligent animal… Generally, the asses are even more flexible than the horses because much less nervous. An ass will not make a thing that it did not include/understand, it is careful. Therefore it is sure in mountain.

The purpose of the famous dunce's cap which punished the dunces formerly was to confer the intelligence of the ass to the dunce. With time, its significance evolved/moved and the ass acquired of this fact an unjustified reputation which then passed in the current language. Examples: to make a stupid thing (silly thing), you are an ass (stupid).

The ass is also the symbol (nonofficial) of the Democratic party of the the United States.

See also: animalist Idiom.

Famous asses

the ass of Skin of Ass, Charles Perrault
Cannabis, the ass of Jamel Debbouze alias Numérobis, in Astérix & Obélix: Mission Cléopâtre ;
Anatole the ass in the series of data base Philémon of Fred;
Boronali ;
Bourriquet, the companion of Winnie the bear cub;
Cadichon, the hero of the Memories of an ass of the countess of Ségur;
the ass of Buridan;
the Ass of gold of Apulée;
the ass in Titi and Grosminet ;
the ass of cartoon films of the series Shrek ;
the Trotro ass, character of data base for children;
the Balthazar ass, in Randomly Balthazar of Bresson;
Modestine, the she-ass of Stevenson;
Grigris, the ass of the series of data base Sylvain and Sylvette
Platero, the ass of the poem " Platero and moi" of Juan Ramon Jiménez, Nobel Prize of literature;

See also : List of the asses of fiction.

Gallery of images

Random links:

Gerd Kanter | Leek of vine | Brad Johnson (football) | Jukka-Pekka Saraste | Comté_de_Marshall,_l'Oklahoma