Zebra Donkey/Zonkey
Equus (zebra) x Equus asinus
A zonkey is a hybrid of a zebra and a donkey, also sold as a zedonk or zebrass. Merriam-Webster dates the word zonkey to 1919 and zedonk to 1961. Zonkeys usually have a narrow, donkey-like head and zebra-black stripes on the legs and ears, the look people describe as a striped donkey. They are considered sterile: a plains zebra and donkey hybrid studied in Italy in 2017 carried 53 chromosomes, 22 from its zebra father and 31 from its donkey mother, and the researchers expected it to be sterile because the two sets do not pair.
Unlike zorses, zonkeys have been born to zebra mothers as well as donkey mothers, and the Italian foal came from an accidental mating at an animal rescue center. Before buying one, ask which zebra species was the parent and for breeding records. Grevy's and mountain zebras are listed under the US Endangered Species Act and CITES, while plains zebras are not. Under USFWS guidance a captive-bred hybrid is not itself protected by the Endangered Species Act, but CITES rules follow a listed zebra parent into a zonkey's import or export paperwork. The donkey parent adds no such limits. In Great Britain, any zebra hybrid needs a Dangerous Wild Animals license.
Colors: Black and White Striped, Brown and White Striped, Gray and White Striped
