Can you explain more on why zebras, donkeys, hinnies, mules, etc, minus ponies and horses, aren't horses and ponies, even though they are part of the Equidae family? I watched this three times and I can't catch it yet. Thank you. 😊
Sure! It can be quite confusing how zebras, donkeys, hinnies, mules, zedonks, and zorses are related to horses and ponies. The reason is best understood by focusing on the scientific names and categorization. All Equines share the same Equidae family, but they are not the same species. It's their species that sets them apart. Horses are known by their scientific name, "Equus ferus caballus." We have a subgroup of equines called, "Asinus" which categorizes all the species of donkeys, kiangs, onagers and asses in the world. There is a second subgroup called "Hippotigris" which categorizes all the species of zebras. As for the hybrids such as mules, hinnies, zedonks and zorses, they are crosses between the species and don't exactly have their own special scientific name. So think of all these different equines (horses, zebras, donkeys, hinnies, mules, zedonks, zorses, etc) as members of the same family. They are just different cousins to each other, for example the zebra is the horse's cousin. Zebras, donkeys, horses, ponies, and the hybrids all share common characteristics such as having 1 toe per limb, their hooves are hard, and share the same body parts. But they also have their differences, for example, they don't all make the same sound. Horses and ponies whinny and neigh. Donkeys, mules, and hinnies bray. While zebras can bray, they make a very unique sound that is called barking that the others can't do. Donkeys and zebras don't have long manes like horses, theirs stays short. Zebra and donkey tails are different from horse tails. Their tails are not as long, and the first half of the tail is is covered with the same hair as their coats before transitioning to tail hair. Donkey ears are longer than horse ears, while zebra ears have a rounder shape. Horses come in a wide range of colors, while donkeys are only grey, black, brown, the occasional tan (depending on the type), or spotted. Zebras are black with white stripes, with the size and shape of their stripes changing depending on the species of zebra. As for the hybrids, mules are a cross between a female horse and a donkey stallion, and they come in a variety of colors. A hinny is a cross between a horse stallion and a female donkey, this crossing is not as common as the mule. Mules look more like horses with huge ears, while hinnies look more like taller donkeys. Zedonks are a cross between a zebra stallion and a donkey female. They can be either tan, grey, or brown with white stripes on their shoulder, barrel, and legs. A zorse is a cross between a zebra stallion and a female horse. Zorses come in lots of colors depending on the mom, but they will always have the zebra stripes regardless of their color. Then there is the rarer, hebra, which is from a female zebra and a horse stallion. There are zonies which is a cross between a zebra and a pony mare. Its all super cool and interesting how different and unique they are! I hope that helps and answers your question regarding their differences! 💜💙
