Why Are Mules Sterile?
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- Опубліковано 12 чер 2024
- Horse plus donkey - it seems like an unlikely combination. I mean, they're different species! And yet, when they get together, they can produce a mule or the lesser-known hinny. Either way, those offspring usually can't become parents themselves.
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Sources:
www.mulemuseum.org/history-of...
www.horsetalk.co.nz/2016/10/2...
genetics.thetech.org/ask/ask225
www.genome.gov/genetics-gloss...
www.labroots.com/trending/vid...
www.yourgenome.org/facts/what...
link.springer.com/article/10....
medlineplus.gov/genetics/unde...
www.denverpost.com/2013/08/16...
www.denverpost.com/2007/07/25...
Images:
www.istockphoto.com/photo/don...
www.istockphoto.com/photo/the...
www.istockphoto.com/photo/hor...
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
www.istockphoto.com/photo/im-...
www.istockphoto.com/vector/me...
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
www.istockphoto.com/photo/cel...
www.istockphoto.com/photo/nor...
#SciShow
There's a mule watching this rn realizing that his wife shouldn't be pregnant
Well.. Its still possible.. I mean there are few reports.. So may be be more optimistic ehh?
@@DrMateen36 Sorry bro, I'm sure he wasn't throwing an indirect on purpose.
😂😂😂
@@DrMateen36 Jokes. Have you heard of them?
@@DrMateen36 Yeah, good luck to convince the wider family with that...
Phew! I was really worried mules were taking over the world. Thank you SciShow. I feel much better.
Thought you were serious until I finished the vid
Hahahaha
Mudkip!!
ua-cam.com/video/ZoSiquMuBM4/v-deo.html
This isn't a Mule but, it's one if it's parents
Close. What we really need to worry about is jackasses taking over the world.
But I think we're too late on that one.
Sic show giving us the answers to questions everyone wants to but no one asks
One of my friends loves how I know such obscure information.
@@tylerdurden788 Which friend? The one everyone calls 'The Narrator'?
the answers nobody wanted, but the ones everybody needed.
I asked
i have an accounting exam in a few hours, i hope mules show up on the test
Did they...?
Did it?
@@Jakee3ee @Arianna Silva sadly no but i still got a good score so im not mad
Because they’re as stubborn as a mule when you tell them to have kids.
that a mule or donkey is 'stubborn' is a human interpretation that has become a myth. the 'stubborn' reaction of these animals is actually their state of fear, which becomes worse the more brutal the people are with them.
@@nimaxx It's just a lil' joke, it's not meant to be taken literally! and it's not like I don't get what you're trying to get across, i perfectly understand what you're trying to say.
"Why does he call you donkey?"
"Oh, he aw- he aw- he always calls me that"
Mules are so awesome. They're definitely smarter than either parent.
You heard of that story where the mule curb stomps a mountain lion that was hunting his dogs? True story 100%
That ain't saying much.
@@badger305 you act like a badger
I was speaking of the comment, "Mules are so awesome. They're definitely smarter than either parent."@@datt5698
@@badger305 too bad they are infertile huh!?
I guess this also mean I can go out without fear of a horde of ligers suddenly showing up to kill everyone.
Horde of ligers is a magic the gathering card
I think big cats are much easier to hybrid. Chromosome count perhaps???
Napleon dynamite told me they have a high magic stat
@@AutoCrete that idiot tiger king was trying to recreate the saber tooth Tiger by cross and interbred big cats.
Several of the big cats actually are able to produce at least partially fertile hybrids. There have been several cases of people breeding a tiger to a lion x tiger hybrid or a lion to a leopard x jaguar.
"My mule don’t like people laughing,”
-- Clint Eastwood
Dammit, I was going say that, lol!
Sister Sarah entered the chat
Get 3 coffins ready. My mule don't like people laughing at him. Of course if all you apologize I don't think it's nice you laughin. he gets this crazy idea you're laughing at him.And if you apologize like i know you're going to. Then i'll consider you didn't mean it. BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM My mistake 4 coffins.
@@nottodayfolks4923 bravo
"He gets the crazy notion you're laughing at him." Now we know why, he's missing a chromosome.
I could listen to her talk about animal breeding and genetics all day.
Coming on a little strong buddy
@@alexanderherzog3064 Understatement!
She is a great genetics instructor
I had wondered about one of my donkey's ancestry since he's pretty horsish looking but turns out it's just normal horshisness lol. He's splendid nonetheless.
is that your donkey on your profile pic
@@brandynamite3022 I hope so, he's very hansome :)
@@gregoryfenn1462 yours is very handsome as well!
@Cupid Stunt: Cool username!
Not knowing this all my life makes me feel like a jackass.
Hey SciShow. Why do we keep messing with things that hurt? Like a cut or a nail that is cut too short?
Oooooh good one! Upvote SoOoOoOoOoOo much.
=)
My guess would be pain releases endorphins, so the more you play with it the less it hurts. Idk
This
or you're trying to fix it, only to fail
I'd say your body is only as smart as evolution needed it to be. Survival of what's "good enough" is all that's required. Pain and itchiness save our lives but like with everything, they have negative side effects; like spreading a rash, purposely shocking yourself, or opening a wound. Best to just realize our compulsions and resist the best we can.
I love mules, if you know how to handle them they are great. You can teach them to plow and cultivate. If you give them enough room to turn, they won't if trained right , they don't step on the crops. Horses will often take a short cut and trample the end of the rows unless you're very careful. You have to watch them like a hawk.
My mother's boyfriend uses mules to train horses.
@@christopherparks2987 A good technique
These are questions i would think to myself back in the classroom of my school. I am so glad at the power of internet to provide a relief to my questions. Life is a process of learning indeed!
Yuppers, just when we make a rule, we find out there are exceptions :3
@Patrick Hudson Hello there. I do hope you are holding those you care for close and helping those you can in this global insanity.
Biology: there is an exception to every rule, including this one ;)
Is it an exception or is it just a special case? Words words words
@@Joeydoesmedicine exceptions are where the fun is :3 Here's to more Adaming
Natue is full of exeptions humans make rules to make it easier to understand the world biology is often messy and ignores us.
I think I asked y’all about this last week! Thanks a ton for answering it! 👍👍
Thanks. Finally a clear understanding of the facts
That's really well explained....Thanks a lot..
This was interesting. I knew this was the case but I'd never known the science behind why. This was well explained.
This episode turned me on to your podcast, and i love it! Can recommend.
Beautiful explanation
Something I've been wondering about:
How did species evolve different number of chromosomes?
At some point, one member of the species would have gotten an extra chromosome. Hypothetically, a chromosome splits or maybe it is born with an extra copy due to meiosis misfires.
Wouldn't that member of the species have non-homologous chromosomes from every other member of their species? Isn't this what makes mules sterile?
Would two members need to have similar or analogous mutations to be able to breed a new species?
People with Down syndrome or trisomy 21 for example can rarely reproduce. There’s a very low chance so they’re most likely sterile like mules for the same reasons. So this applies for all the individuals.
Nothing is great than seeing a great SciShow video
Also I wish y'all a great day
Love the content, and the host, she is so good with this kind of videos
I actually knew this but I love hearing conformation of my knowledge. Although the explanation wasn't technical it was easier to understand than the fu story of meiosis. Not to be confused with mitosis.
Do you know why each pair of homologous chromosomes match during meiosis?
@ I do not. I will research this. I am intrigued. My knowledge of genetics is several years old now.
So if the chromosomes don't work for mules and hinny offspring to have their own offspring, what I have always wondered is how in tarnation does a horse and a donkey having a hybrid kid in the first place? 🤔
very informative. thanks
Wow, I’m so overwhelmed!
2:25 That was a weird jump. The odd chromosome was always going to be unmatched since there's no other chromosome. It has nothing to do with pairs being made up of similar or different chromosomes.
In meiosis, the homologous chromosomes pair each other by sequence complementarity. There’s no one odd chromosome either since the different chromosome number in each parent is the result of either a fusion of two ancestral chromosomes or a split of one chromosome in the lineage of one of the progenitors.
A world run by hybrids, that’s Avatar. Platypus-Bears, Armadillo-Bears, Wolf-Bats, Badger-Moles, etc.
You forgot bears
@@finlayl2505 Just bears? Like Basco?
One piece did it first
Interesting! Thanks for the info. 🐎🐴
Please consider doing a video on permaculture and urban food forest.
Always an exception....I remember an article in Western Horsemen magazine in the 70s titled Never Say Never about a female mule who reproduced several times, once with a Saddllebred stalliom.
Rose Bear Don't Walk is the best host!
I always wondered about this. Fascinating. Well I watched the rest of the video and now my head hurts.
You know how our phones are listening to us all talk and you'll be talking about something with your husband or wife or friend about, let's say, lawn mowers. You're not looking for a new lawn mower but you're talking about a lawn mower and all of a sudden on Facebook and Instagram all your ads are about lawn mowers. Yesterday, my husband and I saw a mule at the veterinarian's office and since it was the first time either of us had ever seen a mule we spent a few minutes talking about mules and about why this particular mule had been gelded. And today SciShow has posted a video about mules. SciShow, are you listening to us through our phones too? 😬🤣 (Also, you know the next ad I see on Facebook is going to be for a lawn mower.)
My granddad used many mules in his day for farm work and family transportation. He vastly preferred them to horses because of their intelligence and stamina. However, he was well known for say, "Ain't nuthin meaner nor more useless than a stud mule." You get all the studdy behavior but without the benefit of an animal that can create life. So mules are gelded young.
Rose Bear Don't Walk is adorable and smart!
“DON’T TOUCH ME, I’M STERILE!”
Wow. I didn't know none of this. That was interesting. Thanks 👍
Well dammnnn I definitely learned something new today. Short simple and well said information, thank you.
We need more of Rose she's good
I would like to know more about the exceptions please
If you can, please help my soon to be evicted family
Only covid protections kept us safe. Go fund me in the descriptions of my videos
thanx
I will say from personal experience, the emotional communication of a horse and the independence of a donkey is highly useful. For centuries they have been used to lead herds of animals for that reason.
But can you crossbreed a donkey with a gorilla to make a Donkey Kong
This explains some humans. Thank you i love this channel
Very good Mam❣️❣️
Emperor Vespasian smiled in Heaven at this video. There are horses and donkeys near the care home where my mother now resides, here in Wales, but I've never personally seen a mule or hinny in the UK. There's still time, I'm only 65.
come on people. im disappointed. what a half ASSed effort in the puns
"female horse and a male donkey"
"Lucky Bastard"
-A Single male horse
At last , infinite gratitude, WELL DONE, I’m whinnying with pleasure.
In the 1960s we lived near Knots Berry Farm... before it became an amusement park. They always had a mule tied up all by himself. We would often go there for breakfast on the weekends and I would bring the mule an apple. He was very gentle and I still remember him clearly.
Mules can have wonderful temperaments if the parents are chosen according to that criteria
Great video! I would love a video on how we humans have 46 chromosomes but our nearest living monkey relatives all have 48 (chimps, apes, and orangutans). Are there any theories on how this came about? Is the thought that our monkey cousins developed an extra pair after we divided from our last common relative, or did humans lose a pair during our evolution? And how would that work when it happened? Say an individual is born with the mutation of having a different number of chromosomes then their species population, it would seem difficult for them to reproduce (just like the mule and hinny), so how can individuals with the new chromosome number get numerous enough to become the new population?
They didn’t lose anything. An individual with a whole pair of chromosomes less wouldn’t be viable. The chromosome number got reduced because two chromosomes fused together.
This is wild I was just thinking about this the other day and I popped up in my recommended.
Oh hey- less than a minute ago:) loving scishow!!!
I'm glad you addressed female mule fertility at the end of this video. I'm really surprised you didn't mention Haldane's Rule.
Donkeys are so short they have to build him a little ramp.
It's definitely been done, when the jack is a lot shorter than the mare.
OK. Serious? My Grandfather (WWI vet) had a farm. He bought a Mule because, Post war, army surplus Mules were as cheap as Indian motorcycles with side cars. They didn't "spook" around other animals. They lived forever (sort of) and they were very strong.
The Zebra is now very confused.
Many human beings have some Neanderthal ancestors (less than 2percent). How would this have been possible if Neanderthals were a different species? Just asking. I am genuinely curious.
Rajano
The genetic divergence wasn't that great to hinder fertile offspring.
Less genetic difference between Cromagnon and Neanderthal, compared to Horse and Donkeys
That question is a can of worms because it messes up the current political correctness going on lol. You can get into trouble..
The "route" of Genetic divergence is not currently known despite reasons to believe so; Correct work would get into such things as Dental Forensics to determine diet & Genotyping of Neanderthal
·
Smithsonian: Human Evolution Evidence » Genetics Ancient » DNA And Neanderthals » DNA: Genotypes And Phenotypes
Well, you have to keep in mind that the genetic distinction between phylogenies is something that we made up, it's not inherent to genetics. We dont have a perfect numbers based definition related to genes, species often just being defined as being different enough to be unable to interbreed. Organisms as they evolve drift slowly apart, with changes accumulating until two separate groups are different enough. However, what changes accumulate is different between different species, meaning there may be huge physical distinctions between two species, but they can still interbreed, or vice versa. This is the case with Neanderthals and our ancestors. They had been separated by time enough to be rather physically distinct from each other, but were still closely related enough to interbreed. Some theories even point to this ability as one of the factors that lead to the neanderthal extinction, with them being integrated to an extent into our ancestors species along with being outcompeted. Genetics is really interesting stuff!
Interesting thanks
Our future mule overlords laugh at you. Muwahaha Hee haw.
Can you make a video about this:
Why is a "left-over Chromosom" a big deal?
Why is having another building plan (in addition to already enough building plans) a big deal for a cell/individuum?
Is there a managing problem which results in weird proteins that don't work as intended?
Does it have to do with expression / inhibition of certain gens?
Would appreciate it!
will rose ever be on scishow!!!!
Not sure if any other comment was made before, but this would have been an excellent opportunity to explain gene introgression as ways to species diversification and speciation.
"Life...uh...life finds a way."
I have always wondered.
You guys need to make a video on intraplate earthquakes
Attack of the Mules, soon in theatres.
My grandma owned mules only, she said that dumbest mule is smarter than the smartest horse
My grandparents would agree with her wholeheartedly.
I'll never forget one of the early Assassins Creed games (either AC2 or AC:Brotherhood) where Ezio finds a note that uses the phrase "infertile as a donkey" and it immediately killed my immersion.
This is a masterclass in explaining everything so badly that people forgot the point you were trying to explain in the first place.
It was something about dragons and your next boob job right?
Farming and animal husbandry terminology for the mule was incorrectly applied to describe a person of mixed ethnicity, specifically where one of the parents is of African ancestry and the other is not, which resulted in the, now outdated, Spanish term, _mulato._
Oh....I didn't know that!
And in Hungarian the word "mulato" is a pub where you get drunk so don`t know who is your mate...
@@xres1329 I mean. The prononciation is different.
I grew up in western Missouri where mule breeding farms were common. Many thousands of miles were produced for the army in WW1. I've known a few hillbilly loggers who use mules for dragging fine veneer logs out of the woods.
It's a different world using mules other than machines. My old Dad in Kentucky kept a pair of mules till each passed any, using them for fencing chores. The strongest pulled a team wagon all by herself. We used her to haul out hay in the Winter to our cattle, and get a little garden plowing too. I still have her collar, hanes, and 3 blade plow in my basement. After I got big enough, I plowed tabacco rows for grass/weed control. You stirred up quite a few memories.
With the mules that did breed, what were they bred to/with? Also, have there been any cases of hinny's breeding? And if so, what were the results for either mules or hinny's?
Wonder how
Much a breedable mule costs probably millions
You always get weird stuff from donkeycrats, usually detremental
In “Foundation and Empire,” The Mule conquered the galaxy but could not found a dynasty.
I learned something today 😁
Used to think mules were just a nickname for donkeys, I had not idea that they were two different things!
You must be from the city , cause you sure don't live in the country
The information i did not want. I needed it tho.
To quote a great film
"Life, uh... finds a way."
no mule apocalypse? what a bummer
It's very fascinating, not the sterile part but that there is a *chance* that it'll work. I wouldn't be surprised if it's the same story all over the universe. Something being very unlikely but then takes place. I think we can throw in life as it is into that mix as well.
"life finds a way"
Mudkip mudkip!
Imagine that animal thinking she is a rare case of fertile mule find out she's just an ugly horse.
Plant crosses do this sort of stuff all the time. Sterile (or more often just not very good) second generations are common from hybrids which seem great. Though it isn't always the second generation when the incompatibilities really start getting exposed... Damn complicated plants ;)
I think the other problem would be that while it would technically be possible to breed a fertile variety of mule, they'd likely all come from one bloodline, that bloodline having the requisite traits to be fertile. That would probably lead to all kinds of genetic problems because your entire breed would be even more intensely inbred than most domestic animals are.... which is saying a lot.
@Travis: Yes, I was gonna say, hybrid corn works like that. The seed co crosses different varieties of corn to make a hybrid with the best qualities of the source varieties. But the final hybrid is almost always sterile, meaning farmers can't reliably save a few hybrid seeds to plant later. They either have to buy more hybrid seed, or grow the source varieties themselves to cross into the hybrid (which takes more time, effort, and money than buying the seed).
Seedless fruits are a similar story, though often their plants can be grown from cuttings. Though _that_ can lead to problems with genetic uniformity -- every plant of that variety is a genetic clone, so they're all susceptible to the same diseases.
@@AaronOfMpls Happens with some naturally occurring hybrids too, but yeah, crossing highly inbred lines makes it very likely the offspring of the hybrids will be messed up pretty badly.
@@AaronOfMpls Except modern corn is the result of hybrids. 'Natural' corn is a totally different plant, really.
@@AaronOfMpls See also: Potatoes.
An uneven number of chromosomes? How odd!
Wait, does this mean completely different species (Dog and cat) could reproduce as well? Or do they still have to be from the same family (Feline, Canine, Equine, Bovine, why do they all end in INE?)
Another example of the mule hinny thing are tigons and ligers.
Very good, I have had Donkeys, Mules and Horses,and been around them maybe 50years plus, I like them all, for their differences, I think Donkeys are my favorite, because the lack of Respect, they may receive, they are the oldest domestic creature, Well treated, they are Loyal Intelligent, Hard working, self preservation, Companion, will guard Livestock,as good as Dogs (another incredible creature) Next Time someone Calls you a JackAss. Say Thank You, it's a Complement
I never knew I wanted to know the answer to that until I seen this video
I’m curious how this applies to other hybrid animals: Grizzly/Polar bears, Wolves/Coyotes, Lions/Tigers.
Is there something about Carnivora that makes hybrids more common and viable?
Well a bluejay and a cardinal can't cross breed.
1) Same number of chromosomes helps. 2)Common ancestor for those is closer in time
Members of canis are a good example of incomplete speciation. Under normal circumstances behavioral differences prevent mating between coyotes and wolves, wolves and dogs, coyotes and dogs. Jackals are too far physically removed from wolves and coyotes to hybridize with either, except in captivity. In captivity, though, wolves, coyotes, jackals, and dogs can freely interbreed and produce fertile offspring. In the Eastern USA, when wolves had been hunted to near extinction levels, coyotes moved in from the western states to occupy the now open niche that wolves had occupied. The occasional wolf still surviving in the area found it hard to find a wolf as a mate, so they mated with coyotes. The result is the highly adaptable and much larger Eastern coyote. Foxes, OTOH, are too far genetically removed to be able to form viable embryos when bred in captivity with dogs, coyotes, or wolves. Red foxes are not able to hybridize with grey foxes, as they are genetically incompatible, but red foxes can hybridize with arctic foxes to produce a sterile hybrid a lot bigger than either parent.
L
Hot off the presses 🔥
I thought some cases mules can have off spring but will only carry their mother’s genetics. So if u mixed one of these mules with a horse u would get a pure horse. Not quite sure.
I believe in every proved case, that is true. Except one in China which was 3/4 donkey and 1/4 horse.
How about a donkey and a spider?
Did no one think of calling them "Honkeys"
We already took that name.
I'm trying to take this seriously but "Donkey" is such a funny word.
How about the Spanish term "burro"?
Next Panthera and Canis Hybrid