Mass Mule: 23 – 450 kg | ||
Representative species Mule, Hinny, Zorse | ||
Equid hybrids, also called hybrid equines, are created from the crossing of members from the horse family such as a horse, donkey and zebra.
Contents
History
From the 20th century equid hybrids were being created. The first crossbreeding was with zebras and donkeys then they tried experimenting with horses because they wanted to name the animals something other than zebrass. Equid hybrids can be traced back to Africa where there are vast amount of equid species which resulted in natural crossing creating hybrid species. These hybrids were found to be more efficient than the original species because they poses certain traits of both species so scientists began to experiment by crossing other species of the horse family and categorizing them as Equid Hybrids. Equid hybrids are now bred commercially. Mules bred from mammoth studs and stock or draft mares can be as large as seventeen hands and are as strong as a normal horse. Other mules are bred for pets or for entertainment such as zoo, these are the miniature horses or miniature donkeys.
Nomenclature
Hybrids are named based on the sex and species of the parents. The combination of the first half of the father’s name and the second half of the mother's name.
Nature of the animals
Zebras are usually wild animals but when they are raised with other domestic horses they are tame enough to be ridden draught. Mules are smaller, more resistant to heat and exhaustion and much stronger. Horses are much larger but likely to suffer from exhaustion and heat.
Fertility of equid hybrids
Male mules (johns) are sterile while the female mules (mollies) are fertile.
The different number and different structure in chromosomes makes it difficult for them to pair up. Donkeys have 62 chromosomes, mules and hinnies have 63 pair of chromosomes and horses have 64 pair of chromosomes.
It is harder to cross species if the female has less chromosomes than the males, as in the crossing of a stallion and a jenny (female donkey), this results in minimal breeding of hinnies.
Mules and Hinnies
A mule is the crossing of a male donkey (jack) and a mare and a hinny is the crossing of a stallion and a female donkey (jenny). It is impossible to cross a male mule because of its infertility, and almost in possible to cross a female mule because of the difference in chromosome number but it can be done.
Why are mules preferred?
Mules are preferred because they are more tolerant to heat than horses. Horses are more efficient in cold weather and mules are more effective in deserts. Horses are more likely to suffer from exhaustion when compared to mules. Since mules are relatively slower than horses they are much safer to ride than horses. It is cheaper to rear a mule than a horse because they consume less. Lastly, mules are more enduring than a horse and can live longer.