A hybrid of a male donkey and a female horse, and more common than the hinny, the reverse cross. Mules are more patient, hardier and longer-lived than horses, and are thought less stubborn and more intelligent than donkeys. They come in any colour a horse or donkey can be.
Quick answers
What is it?Mammal
Carnivore?No, herbivore
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?Yes
Awake when?Daytime
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?In places
At a glance
Found inWorldwide
ColoursBrown, Grey, Black
SizeLarge
HeightUp to 180 cm at the withers (large draught mules)
WeightTypically about 370–460 kg
Legs4
Covered inFur
Lives inherds
Lives for30–40 years
Can swim
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Kept worldwide; in 2018 Mexico had the most, with over 3.2 million.
Did you know
A horse crossed with a donkey, and almost always sterile.
Mules have tougher skin than horses and tend to live longer on fewer resources.
Horses and donkeys have different numbers of chromosomes, which is why mules are usually infertile.
Often confused with
- Donkey
A mule has a donkey father and a horse mother; a hinny has a horse father and a donkey mother.
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