On
this date in 1786, the first Spanish Jacks (male donkeys) arrived in
the United States, a gift from the King of Spain. George Washington
(not yet President of the U.S.) began to breed these donkeys with his
female horses. And so began the history of mules in America.
Did
you know that daddy mules and mommy mules don't breed to make baby
mules? Mules cannot reproduce but are instead are created by
horse-donkey breeding. What I didn't know is that mules are created
when male donkeys and female horses are bred, and the result of
female donkeys and male horses is called a hinny. Hinnies tend to
look just like mules, and are also sterile (which means that they
cannot reproduce or make babies).
Notice:
there are male mules and female mules, and there are male hinnies and
female hinnies.
Why
would anyone want mules in a world that already has horses and
donkeys?
Well,
mules tend to be stronger than donkeys and more resistant to disease
than horses. Actually, the fact that they are sterile is helpful in
some situations—you don't have to worry about animals getting
pregnant and giving birth—and may lead to mules' reputation of
being tougher and more reliable than horses or donkeys. Mules are
being used in Afghanistan by U.S. armed forces, carrying supplies to
places where helicopters and Humvees cannot easily go.
Learn
more about mules at Saito's Dojo.
Also
on this date:
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