What are Crossbreeds?

A crossbreed is an animal that is produced after breeding two animals from different species. Such crossbreeding or interbreeding can occur only between two very closely related species, and the offspring are invariably sterile.

(Sterile: infertile; incapable of reproducing)

Horse and Donkey are of two different species, and both have numerous breeds. All breeds of a horse and those of a donkey can interbreed among themselves to produce fertile young ones but a cross between a horse and donkey, though possible, does not produce a fertile ‘mule’. Humans have been practicing producing mules for centuries, but several new types of crosses have been successfully tried in modern times.

A mule is a living organism but not a species.

It is a cross (hybrid) between a donkey (male) and a mare (female horse). It resembles the male parent (donkey) in the size and shape of the ears, legs and hooves, the shape of the tail and the shortness of the mane and is similar to the female parent (horse) in height, shoulder, etc. A mule is sterile.

A cross breed between a horse (male) and a jenny (female donkey) produced a Hinny which is also sterile.

A mule

• Zebra upon mating with a donkey produces a zenkey with ears and back like those of a donkey and striped legs and hips like a zebra. A zenkey is sterile.

• A tiger mating with a female lion produces a Tigon which is sterile.

• A liger is a creature produced from a male lion and tigress.

• Geep is a sterile offspring of a goat and a sheep.
• A pomato is a plant that produces potatoes underground and tomatoes above the ground but does not have any seeds.
• A yattle is the offspring of a yak and a cow.
• Crossbreeds are also developed by mating bulls of exotic breeds with the cows of the indigenous breeds. Example: Karan-Fries (Tharparkar and Holstein-Friesien), Frieswal (Sahiwal and Holstein-Friesien).