Mule

Mule
Conservation status
	Domesticated
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Perissodactyla
Family:	Equidae
Subtribe:	Equina
Genus:	Equus
Species:	E. africanus asinus♂ × E. ferus caballus♀

The mule is a domestic equine hybrid between a donkey and a horse. It is the offspring of a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare).^[1] The horse and the donkey are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes;^[2] of the two possible first-generation hybrids between them, the mule is easier to obtain and more common than the hinny,^[3] which is the offspring of a male horse (a stallion) and a female donkey (a jenny).^[2]

Mules vary widely in size, and may be of any color seen in horses or donkeys. They are more patient, hardier and longer-lived than horses, and are perceived as less obstinate and more intelligent than donkeys.^[4]^: 5

^ "What is a mule?". The Donkey Sanctuary. 5 September 2020. Archived from the original on 1 October 2020. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
^ ^a ^b Rodriguez, Monica (20 June 2007). "Why can't mules breed?". The Tech Interactive. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
^ Cite error: The named reference JHeredity-30-12 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Jackson, Louise A (2004). The Mule Men: A History of Stock Packing in the Sierra Nevada. Missoula, MT: Mountain Press. ISBN 0-87842-499-7.

[1] "What is a mule?". The Donkey Sanctuary. 5 September 2020. Archived from the original on 1 October 2020. Retrieved 22 September 2020.

[:0-2] Rodriguez, Monica (20 June 2007). "Why can't mules breed?". The Tech Interactive. Retrieved 9 March 2025.

[JHeredity-30-12-3] Cite error: The named reference JHeredity-30-12 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Jackson2004-4] Jackson, Louise A (2004). The Mule Men: A History of Stock Packing in the Sierra Nevada. Missoula, MT: Mountain Press. ISBN 0-87842-499-7.

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