#zonkeys

Nathan is a black Clydesdale horse

Pickles is a red Irish Donkey

Skwisgaar is a white Thoroughbred Horse

Toki is a brown spotted Mustang Horse

Murderface is a brown Zonkey

Zonkey

Instagram - “Vaya Con Tacos”

I remember being in high school when the subject of mules was brought up, and I was shocked by my classmates’ shock that donkeys and mules were not the same thing. My school was relatively rural, but no one knew that mules were a hybrid creation of horses and donkeys. So let me say it here:

Mules are hybrid animals.

They are not a breed or an animal you would typically find in the wild. Mules are the result of crossing a female horse with a male donkey. The offspring of a female donkey and a male horse is called a hinny, but they are relatively rare.

Maybe female donkeys are too smart for stallions. It wouldn’t shock me. But the vast majority of donkey/horse hybrids are the result of a male donkey and a female horse, aka a mule.

Donkeys

There are three typical kinds of donkeys in the US: the mini donkey, the standard donkey, and the Mammoth Jack. There is also a rare breed of donkey in France called the Poitou donkey. They are comparable in size to the Mammoth Jack, but they are recognizable because of their “dreadlocks”. They kinda resemble Puli dogs.

For size comparison, this is a mini donk.

A standard, which is most common across the world.

and a Mammoth (next to a mini)

A female donkey is called a Jenny. A male donkey is called a Jack. And <insert jack ass joke here>. Most donkeys come in the typical “dun” coloring, be it brown or gray over their body with white shading on their legs and under their belly/head. However, some donks are spotted.

Mules

Mules come in a variety of shapes and sizes, usually dependent upon their mother’s coloring and size. Draft mares are used to get draft mules. Mini mares and mini donkeys are used to get mini mules. There are all kinds of colors of mules, and there are gaited mules as well. Here are a variety of mule types possible.

Standard Mule

Draft Mule

A “Mawari” mule (its dam would be a Mawari horse, known for their pointy ears)

Appaloosa mule

Why a Mule? Donkeys are much more intelligent than horses, which is why they have a reputation of being stubborn. They’re far less likely to be spooky, and they tend to look at things before they freak out and bolt in the opposite directions. They are much more curious and many claim they’re friendlier and calmer than horses. However, donkeys aren’t the greatest animals to ride, and they tend to be small, so people who want the calm nature of the donkey along with the physical agility of a horse might want a mule. Mules and donkeys excel at climbing, being sure-footed with smaller, harder hooves that can more easily cross rough terrain. This is why mules are used at the Grand Canyon, as opposed to horses.

How to tell the difference between a donkey and a mule?

Sometimes it can be difficult to tell, especially if the mule takes after her dad and looks a lot like a donkey. But mules tend to more closely resemble horses. Donkeys have huge heads, short necks, and tiny butts, where as mules tend to have more substantial butts, longer necks, and smaller heads. They also are less hairy.

There’s no sure way to tell, but all mules are sterile. There have been very rare instances of female mules having babies, but it’s safe to assume mules cannot produce offspring. The johns (male mules) still need to be gelded, as uncut mules still act like stallions, even if they’re shooting blanks. Female mules are called mollies.

You’ll find that many trail-riding mules cost more than their equine counterparts. People who do a lot of trail riding or farm work go crazy for mules. They can be exceptional in what they do. Donkeys and mules also make much better guard animals than horses, as they are less scared of predators. A donkey will “sound the alarm” when they see a wolf/coyote, which sounds like this:

Donkeys also make this noise to each other, or if they’re excited.

Here is a mule beating the shit out of a snake.

ZONKEYS!

Zonkeys are a thing, which is a cross between a donkey and a zebra. I’m not sure the advantages this would have outside of having a cool animal to brag about. But they’re cute!

No te pierdas el segundo de la serie de @cibacopamx en los playoffs con el choque entre:

@ZonkeysOficial 🆚 @AngelesCDMexico

⏰ 20:00 HRS

📺 303 @Megacable 575 @totalplaymx 348 @DishMx

Zonkeys entregan a Secretaría de salud Hospital auxiliar

TIJUANA.- El Secretario de Salud del Estado, Alonso Óscar Pérez Rico, recibió las llaves del Auditorio Zonkeys de parte del Director de Procuración “Ayudemos a Tijuana”, Ing. Miguel Garza; espacio que fue habilitado para la atención de pacientes COVID-19.

Esta unidad es parte de las estrategias y de un esfuerzo ciudadano para despresurizar el Hospital General de esta ciudad; es así que, los…