By: Katerina Parent
I Introduction
Mules have been around for thousands of years, and have helped humans with advances in labor and transportation. But where did they come from? They are not a natural breed, but rather a manmade breed known as a hybrid animal, or an animal that is the offspring of two different species. An animal that has been purely known as stubborn, the mule should truly be described as bold, intelligent, and even sensitive. It is because of these personality traits that have made the mule easy to work with and lead during long journeys that include harsh weather and strenuous labor.
II Discovery
The creation of the first mule is unknown, but it is said to be recognized as its own breed about 3,000 years ago. It has been referenced several times throughout the Holy Bible and a few times in classic pieces of literature such as Homer's Iliad. In ancient lands such as Greece, the mule was used for harness races, which were popular in about 500 B.C. It is the progeny of a male donkey and a female horse, and has inherited many unique qualities from both of its parents. With strong legs and impressive balance, the mule has been used mainly for travel through mountains and rough terrain while carrying loads that have reached up to 350 pounds. It stands at about five feet tall and can weigh anywhere from 800- 1,000 pounds. One of the smallest mules on average was about three and a half feet tall and only 300 pounds, and was fortunately not used for hard labor due to its disadvantage in size. The mule is a very impressive breed, being able to withstand the most outrageous of temperatures, varying from extreme desert heats to the bitter colds of snowy blizzards. Word spread of the hybrid wonder, and farmers and travelers from all around the world wanted use of this breed. In 1786, the king of Spain gifted a mule to President George Washington of the United States, and he was so amazed that he decided to use its services in a Philadelphia journal, and then share his gift with Great Britain, who also put the mule to good use in the army in locations such as India. The existence of a mule was known to countries such as the United States and Great Britain, but it was not until the 18th century that it was so appreciated. People were so impressed by this breed because of all of the labor it was able to do that also allowed humans to perform the less strenuous tasks. The mule was seen as better than a horse or donkey and its popularity increased dramatically by 100 percent during the years between 1850-1860. Savory, T. (1970) The Mule. pg. 1,2
III Anatomy and Facts
The tallest mules recorded are about 17.5 hands high because of their "special" parents: a dray mare and a Poitou donkey. These mules are bred specifically for riding and few labors. In May of 1939, Popular Science magazine published an article about "midget mules" or "dwarf mules" which were created by Lex Watson of Tennessee. At just over three feet tall and 200 pounds, midget mules became the smallest breed of mules. Bonnier Corporation (1939) New Breeding Methods Produce Midget Mule.
It has been said that mules are genetically unable to reproduce naturally. This is true only for male mules. Explained by H. Federley in 1913, males are unable to reproduce from a, "failure of sperm production by meiosis, the type of cell division that gives rise to germ cells. Specifically the failure occurs at the stage of synapsis, when the chromosomes of maternal and paternal origin come together." Savory, T. (1970) The Mule. p.5
For females on the other hand, it has been reported that after mating with a male horse or donkey, the female mule was able to conceive a foal. In most cases after mating with a male horse, the female mule conceived a horse, but after mating with a male donkey, the female mule conceived a mule. This is not true for all cases; most result in miscarriages. For those that do get pregnant, a mule holds one babe at a time for a full term of 10.5 months. For example:
Key- H represents "horse" An example of the breeding of mules:
A represents "donkey" AAXYX + HHXX = AHXX (female) or AHXY (male)
X and Y representing the sex chromosomes
Savory, T. (1970) The Mule. p.5
Anatomy of a Mule- Figure 1
IV Impact on the World/Humanity
a) Transportation and Labor
Mules' impact on farming, ranching, and transportation has been a tremendous help to people around the word. They have been used mostly with pack work, draft work and riding for centuries and have continued to impress humans with their strength and endurance through insane temperatures, terrain, and loads sometimes even, without food or water for days. The story of Robert Falcon Scott and his group of mules is one worth sharing. In 1912, Scott had seven mules sent from India to Ross Island to assist him on his journey to Cape Evans. Each mule pulled a sledge load weighing a total of 700 pounds for thirty days while they starved (refusing to eat the food they were provided). Two died from the journey, but the other five reached their destination, only to get shot a few months later in 1913 from a group of bandits. Mules have also shown their impressive tenacity during World War I, when many were used for all sorts of transportations on the battle grounds from medicine to weaponry. Mules usually carry at least 200 pounds of cargo and can cover 20-25 miles in a single day. They are great at responding to voices and click noises by their drivers which makes them easy to control and lead. Even after a long day's work, mules can recover surprisingly quickly, sometimes overnight, and are ready to work the next morning. They require the same amount of food as a horse, which usually includes (on average): "12 pounds of oats, 16 pounds of hay, and eight pounds of straw a day." Savory, T. (1970) The Mule. p. 4,5
Unfortunately, mules are now being replaced by machines, and humans no longer need to breed this animal. In the next hundred years, mules could become endangered or even extinct because of the advances in transportation such as trains, planes, and buses that can carry so much more than a mule can and doesn't require food or rest. In the year 1920, the population of mules was roughly 5.4 million. Eleven years later, it decreased to 5.1 million, in 1948, there were 2.54 million mules, and by 1954, the mule population had dramatically fallen to only 1.6 million. Savory, T. (1970) The Mule. p.6
b) Other Popular Hybrid Animals
The "invention" of the mule has led scientists to wonder if it is possible to create other fantastic breeds from parents of two different species. Scientists hypothesized that they could, and as a result, hundreds of hybrids have surfaced and have become increasingly popular to curious and fascinated people worldwide. Some examples of popular hybrids include:
1. The Liger- The Liger, produced from a male lion and a female tiger, was first recognized as its own breed in the mid 19th century in Europe. It is the largest cat in the world, usually weighing about 700 pounds and having a body length of about 10 ft. Ligers exceed the average lifespan of a domestic cat by about 5-10 years (anywhere between 18-24 years old). It has also been recorded that male ligers, like the male mule, is sterile and therefore unable to reproduce with other female ligers. They are very fun and vivacious creatures; one of their favorite hobbies include swimming. Wikipedia (2010) Liger, Hemmy Inc. (2007) Top 10 Hybrid Animals
2. The Zony, Zorse, and Zonkey- A Zony, the progeny of a male zebra and female pony, was created in about the 19th century, as well, by Cossar Ewart, a geneticist. His discovery led many other scientists, like Lord Morton who created the zorse (zebra and horse), to become passionate in discovering new zebra hybrids. The zonkey (a zebra and a donkey) completes the trio of zebroids and also wears the famous zebra stripes while still keeping a donkey's figure. Animal Pictures Archive (1995) Zony (zebra-pony hybrid), Hemmy Inc. (2007) Top 10 Hybrid Animals
3. The Cama- After breeding a camel and a llama through artificial insemination (due to the camel's large size compared to the small llama), the offspring is known as a cama. It inherits short fuzzy ears and a long tail from its camel daddy, and the legs and hooves of its mama. In few cases, a small hump on the cama's back can be seen. Hemmy Inc. (2007) Top 10 Hybrid Animals
V. Journal Article Review and Conclusion
3. The Cama- After breeding a camel and a llama through artificial insemination (due to the camel's large size compared to the small llama), the offspring is known as a cama. It inherits short fuzzy ears and a long tail from its camel daddy, and the legs and hooves of its mama. In few cases, a small hump on the cama's back can be seen. Hemmy Inc. (2007) Top 10 Hybrid Animals
V. Journal Article Review and Conclusion
Many wonderful and fantastic hybrid creatures have been created because of scientist's original fascination in the mule. The mule is such a wonderful and beneficial animal to our society in terms of the work it is able to do that exceeds humans'. My article, appropriately titled The Mule, supplied me with an overflowing amount of interesting material on this man-made animal. Mentioning the unclear discovery, remembering times in history, and expressing the relationship humans have with mules today, this article gave all the information I needed to write this paper. The author, Theodore H. Savory, included detailed pictures and explanations of how the hybrid came to be, which made the complex system of genetics and inherited traits easier to comprehend. I have concluded from this article, that the mule is a wonderful, beautiful animal that sometimes is misunderstood as stubborn and aggressive is actually sensitive, hardworking, and full of endurance, while keeping its friendly and playful side (its favorite activity includes rolling around in the dirt). For centuries, the mule has been put through strenuous, hard labor that humans couldn't endure. It has suffered extreme climate changes and at times has survived without food and water for weeks. This incredible hybrid has been an excellent addition to our society, but with advances in technologies, its days could be numbered.
References
Animal Pictures Archive (1995) Zony (zebra-pony hybrid). Retreived 10-13-10 from http://www.animalpicturesarchive.com/view.php?tid=2&did=27157
Bonnier Corporation (1939) New Breeding Methods Produce Midget Mule. Retrieved on 10-13-10 from http://books.google.com/books?id=jikDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA122&lpg=PA122&dq =midget+mules&source=bl&ots=Yr18UUAXUA&sig=B018ZqK6Pl4i8xF9PVOD9i53hTU&hl=en&ei=Kle2TKr9LoG0lQfx5L DwBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBIQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=midget%20mules&f=false.
Hemmy Inc. (2007) Top 10 Hybrid Animals. Retrieved on 10-13-10 from http://www.hemmy.net/2006/06/19/top-10-hybrid-animals/
Savory, T. (1970) The Mule. Retrieved 10-09-10.
Wikipedia (2010) Liger. Retrieved on 10-13-10 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ligers
No comments:
Post a Comment