Balearic donkey like, and for draught, pulling small carts; jacks were used to sire mules. Balearic donkey The Balearic donkey, , , is a breed of domestic donkey indigenous to the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands, in the Mediterranean off the eastern coast of Spain. Although found mainly in Mallorca, the largest island of the group, it is found also in Menorca, where it was much used for mule-breeding; it is no longer present in the islands of Eivissa and Formentera. It is officially called the ; until 2006 the breed was known as the , and was also referred to
Balearic Islands the world). Both were extremely fertile in all produce, except wine and olive oil. They were celebrated for their cattle, especially for the mules of the lesser island; they had an immense number of rabbits, and were free from all venomous reptiles. Amongst the snails valued by the Romans as a diet was a species from the Balearic isles called "cavaticae" because they were bred in caves. Their chief mineral product was the red earth, called "sinope", which was used by painters. Their resin and pitch are mentioned by Dioscorides. The population of the two islands is stated by Diodorus