Wild Burro (Equus asinus) - Goodsprings Valley

(Fig. 01)

03/17/2014 Trip Notes: On a trip exploring the Goodsprings Valley behind the town of Groodsprings, I came upon a small band of Burros while hiking up Pauline Mine Road (Figs. 01-03 below). (Click on picture to enlarge)  Using the maximum telephoto setting on my camera, I was eventually able to capture several close-up pictures before they decided to scamper off into the desert. I especially like the family portrait in (Fig. 03).

(Fig. 02)

(Fig. 03)

Description: Wild Burro (Donkey) (Equus asinus). There is no formal cutoff between the terminology "donkey," "burro" and "ass". A small donkey is sometimes called a burro (from the Spanish word for the animal). Burros grow to be about half the size of a horse and weigh between 400 and 600 pounds. Burros also "bray" instead of "whinny". Males are called jacks, and females are called jennies. The differences between horses and burros are generally easy to see. Burros have longer ears and short manes and tails. Babies are born once per year usually between March and July. In the wild, mountain lions are the only natural predator. Nevada is home to most of the nation's wild burros.