is it possible that horses and donkeys belong to the same species?

Answer 1

Since horses and donkeys can reproduce together, but the offspring they produce is sterile (infertile), they are closely related species, but they are different.

Incidentally, the offspring of a male horse with a femal donkey is called a mule. The offspring of a female horse and a male donkey is a hinney.

Answer 2

It depends how far the species have differentiated; for example, a horse and a donkey can still interbreed, but they're different enough that the offspring (called a mule) will always be sterile. Wolves and dogs can interbreed, and domestic cats and SOME wild cats can interbreed. Tiger + housecat = no... but the smaller wild cats which are similar to housecats can; this is how some breeders have developed more exotic-looking domestic cat breeds like the Bengal. Note that they aren't considered "domestic" until at least three generations separate the wild cross -- wild animals, no matter how cute and cuddly or beautiful they are, are still WILD and their descendants will tend to have the instinctive behaviors of wild animals, which is undesirable or dangerous in pets. Careful crossbreeding with domestics over multiple generations can minimize or select out these traits, but it takes knowledge, patience, work, and luck. Chickens and eagles? No. They differ too much. And also because the eagle would likely eye the potential mate as dinner! "Or a wolf and a St. Bernard to have a really large st Bernard with wolf like viciousness and characteristics?" Or you might end up with a shaggy, drooling wolf. Who ever said that wolves were vicious? They do what they're built for, bring down and eat prey. They aren't particularly vicious, unless mistreated; but they are still potentially dangerous or have habits inconvenient to humans.

Answer 3

The donkey or @$$ (Equus asinus) is a domesticated animal of the horse family, Equidae. The wild ancestors of the donkey are African.

Answer 4

No. They interbreed to give sterile offspring, so they are not the same species.

Answer 5

I think so, because they can breed and produce mules, but mules are sterile.......