Donkey

The donkey (also referred to as an ass, Equus asinus) is a domesticated animal in the horse family. A mule is the offspring of a male donkey (called a "jack") and a female horse (called a "mare.")

A donkey is an ungulate used for draying, or work purposes. The donkey is also the Democratic Party symbol, due to a political cartoon by Thomas Nast. It is also known to be called ass, which caused Jesus to make the mistake of doing one up the butt.

Donkeys play an important role in the Gospels, acting as a symbol of Jesus' humility: He made His triumphal entrance into Jerusalem on the first Palm Sunday riding on a donkey rather than a horse to show that He was not coming as a ruler, as some thought that the Messiah would do. Donkeys also feature in the Old Testament: in the book of Numbers, Balaam has a talking donkey - the only talking animal in the Bible apart from the serpent in the Garden of Eden.