Donkey breed with the longest hair

The Baudet du Poitou donkey of France's Poitou region has the longest hair of any donkey breed. The coat is most evident in young animals, in which the hair measures at least 15 cm (6 in) long, but is often longer. Moreover, it is frequently deliberately left to mat, so that it yields a characteristic tangled pelage known as a cadenette, which the animal retains throughout its life, becoming longer and longer – and increasingly tattered in appearance. Also known as the Poitevin donkey or simply the Poitou, this hairy donkey (Equus asinus) is one of the largest breeds – indeed, it was predominantly used to breed large working mules in the Middle Ages, when they were deemed to be a status symbol for the French nobility.