There is a very famous saying: "Sons are not responsible for their fathers when they are … donkeys." Exactly, these are mules …
Guess the riddle: it has long ears, not a donkey with a ponytail, but not a horse at all, lives 60 years, is not exposed to diseases at all and does the job for two. Who is it? True, this is a mule - a hybrid of a horse and a donkey.
Counting mules around the world is almost impossible. Mules are not tribal animals; they are only used for their intended purpose. Tribal books on them do not start. Only in China they bothered to count all the “workaholics” with long ears. The result is eleven million. The age of the mule cannot end until there are horses and donkeys on the planet.
Homeland of mules
Many believe that the mule (animal) is an interesting exotic, of which we only learn from books. However, countries such as North Africa, China, Asia, southern Europe have well-developed mulovodstvo. Hybrid animals in these areas are more numerous than horses, and they are valued for their tremendous hard work and simplicity in keeping. These artiodactyls are endowed with donkey power and horse growth.
Mules are the most common practical agricultural hybrids, the fruit of a donkey and a horse. The history of Mesopotamia first mentioned them 2000 years ago BC. In Asia, Iran and Transcaucasia, exotic animals were even earlier.
Mule quickly gained wide popularity in Egypt, Rome, Greece. The price of the animal in ancient Hittia was 65 shekels, and only 25 shekels paid for the best horse.
The origin of the mules was random, but people noticed that hybrids were much superior to their parents, and began to breed them. The center where these wonderful creatures are produced is considered to be Catalonia and Andalusia, which are located on the Iberian Peninsula.
Mule - a hybrid of horse and donkey
During hybridization, animals of different species mate. The result is descendants that have a name - interspecific hybrids. This method is becoming increasingly common. The most successful in the history of mankind was the crossing of a donkey with a horse, resulting in a mule.
A mule is a hybrid of a donkey and a horse that was first obtained by humans in the distant past. In its life expectancy, it is much ahead of donkeys and horses, at the moment it is a wonderful working animal, characterized by unpretentiousness. The mule is the most famous interspecific hybrid of the animal world for its vitality. It turned out by crossing two completely different biological species.
In the wild, this type of cross does not occur. People themselves consciously gave birth to a mule for their needs, and were not mistaken in receiving such an interesting and valuable assistant.
External signs of parental couples
In general, mules have similarities with both parents. Height depends on the height of the horse and ranges from 125 to 165 cm at the withers, animals often overtake their parents in height. There are miniature mules up to one meter high at the withers.
Head and neck resemble donkeys. The ears of the mules are long, like "dad's." A large head, a convex forehead, a “hedgehog” mane, a rather short, straight neck are characteristic features of a mule. With its torso it is like a horse. A straight back, withers above a donkey, but short and low. The croup is a little wider and longer, shorter than the horse. The tail of the mule is very similar to the tail of the Przhevalsky horse. Its length is small, the base is covered with a shorter hair than the rest.
The mule is an animal that inherited the entire horse suit, adding some color characteristic of donkeys. Sometimes there are unique variations. Only a purely pinto color has never been seen in mules.
The mule’s voice also has its own peculiarities, at first a neighing is heard, like a horse’s, at the end - a donkey “eeyore”. The gestation is also “hybrid”: the foal has a term of 11 months, a foal 12 months, and a mule something average 11.5 months.
Why mules do not have offspring
Mules are barren animals; they are not endowed with the ability to give birth to their children. Why does a person have such a desire to have such an inferior hybrid? There is only one reason: the mule is endowed with many other important virtues.
The expression "when the mule gives birth" in meaning is very similar to "when the cancer whistles." Only a few cases of birth are known when the mule has given birth. The last time it was recorded in 2002 in Morocco.
All interspecific hybrids from the equine family, including mules, are sterile. The cause of infertility is a chromosome set. The horse has 32 pairs, the donkey has 31 pairs of chromosomes. As a result, the mule gets 63 chromosomes, an unpaired number that cannot be divided into pairs. This is the main cause of mule infertility, since it cannot form mature germ cells.
Scientists have learned to clone mules. In 2003, the mule-clone, whose name is Idaho Jim, first saw the light.
Using Mules
Mules are loaded with hard work, starting from the age of three. It is permissible to engage in heavy work from the age of four. At the same time, you need to feed with complete feeds.
Pack type mules carrying a 130 kilogram pack travel about five kilometers in one hour. Under the rider can go 7-8 km per hour. Such transport is indispensable when there is a need to move along mountain paths in any weather. The benefit is that the mule does not require forging.
The most irreplaceable animal workers were considered mules in cotton belt agriculture. They were used to transport military equipment, with their help, the wounded were taken from the battlefield.
In only one mule, the value of which is undeniable, cannot compete with a horse, is overcoming the height.
In hybrid origin, the whole secret of vitality lies. When different breeds are taken for crossing, the release of vital energy to the outside is clearly manifested. And the further the paternal couples will be related, the more strongly this phenomenon will affect. A striking example is the mule, so unusual and cute.
Mule behavior
The stubbornness of a mule is no different. At first glance, he seems to be lazy, which is not true. Thus, his concern for his safety is manifested. The horse runs until you drop, the mule never has. If he is stubborn, then something does not suit him.
Mules will never be allowed to be mistreated. Patience is shown to their owners. The instructions that they receive are always executed, if it is within their power. When learning a mule, you will need a lot of patience, gentle handling. If you offend him with something, he will remember his offender for a very long time and will take revenge at the right time.
