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A male donkey can be crossed with a female horse to produce a mule. A male horse can be crossed with a female donkey (jennet or jenny) to produce a hinny. These hybrids are almost always sterile because horses have 64 chromosomes whereas donkeys have 62, producing offspring with 63 chromosomes. Due to different mating behavior, mules are much more common than hinnies: before the male mounts the female, the latter kicks vigorously at the former. In donkeys, this behavior is much more intense; thus, a stallion will often simply not mate with a jenny because he is taking more of a beating than he is expecting to get, and will refuse to mate. Moreover, mules are more easily handled and also physically stronger than hinnies, making them more desirable for breeders to produce. |
