I am asked all the time, "what is the difference between a burro and a donkey?" Semantics. They're the same animal, Equus asinus. The domesticated version is called a donkey, and the feral version that roams the west is called a burro – the Spanish word for ass. George and Alan are burros because they roamed the western range prior to their capture through the Bureau of Land Management's Wild Horse and Burro program; Ellsworth and Bernard are donkeys because they were bred and born in captivity. Bottom line, they're the smartest, gentlest creatures on four legs...not that I'm biased or anything.
I love the gorgeous stripes on George's legs. These markings are believed to trace back to the African ass.
You horse owners are familiar with the chestnuts on your horse's legs – burros and donkeys have chestnuts, too, but they're delicate and paper thin. If you collected a bunch of the flaked-off layers and taped them together, you'd have a very interesting piece of stationery. I might have to try it.
So except for their names, there really isn't much of a difference between a burro and a donkey. An ass by any other name would be as sweet.