Why are hybrid animals different depending on which parent is from which species ?
In: Biology
For those who don’t know, mules and hinnies are both horse/donkey crossbreeds, but a horse is a mule’s mom and a donkey is a hinny’s mom.
One big difference is that hinnies are smaller than mules. Still ornery, though. I got kicked in the shoulder by a hinny and my arm was out of commission for weeks.
My theory is that hinnies are smaller because the mom is smaller—donkeys are smaller than horses. A smaller mom with a smaller womb will naturally provide less nutrition and create a smaller baby.
I mean, imagine a chihuahua/great dane crossbreed. There is no way that a dog halfway between a chihuahua and a great dane is coming out of that poor little mom. (I’m going to assume that such a cross would have to be done with artificial insemination, but that’s a whole different story.)
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