| Mule | |
|---|---|
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Domesticated
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Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Perissodactyla |
| Family: | Equidae |
| Subtribe: | Equina |
| Genus: | Equus |
| Species: | |
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][2] The horse and the donkey are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes; of the two possible first-generation hybrids between them, the mule is easier to obtain and more common than the hinny, which is the offspring of a male horse (a stallion) and a female donkey (a jenny).
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.[3]: 5
- ^ "Mule Day: A Local Legacy". americaslibrary.gov. Library of Congress. 18 December 2013. Archived from the original on 28 September 2020. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- ^ "What is a mule?". The Donkey Sanctuary. 5 September 2020. Archived from the original on 1 October 2020. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
- ^ 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.