Difference Between Donkey And Mule
Although you cannot find much variations between the donkey and Mule but their basic differences lie in their anatomy and physiology. People mostly think it’s difficult to distinguish between the two – Donkey and Mule because of their alike appearance and manner.
Donkey is a domesticated mammal with hoof and close to the horse. But the donkey is smaller in size as compared to a horse and has long ears with cropped hair on its tail. A Mule instead is a hybrid variety from crossing of a male Donkey and a mare that is a female horse.
Well, the only major variation between the two that is a donkey and Mule is linked to their reproductive organs. Donkey can reproduce the mules are infertile and cannot reproduce. A Mule is sterile because of the crossing. Another difference is in the number of chromosomes with a mule having 63 while a donkey has 62.
When the two are compared in terms of use, Mules are much better than a donkey. A donkey can turn impatient under the load of weights, but the Mule is just a calm animal, even if the load is very heavy for it to carry. A Mule can bear any load, but this is not the case with a donkey. A mule has greater stamina in comparison to a donkey. This feature of the Mule can be attributed to the origin of its existence which is hybrid.
A mule is also possible to jump a few meters from its standing point where the donkey is incapable of doing so. Also mules are much smarter and intelligent than the donkeys.
While you may encounter some similarities in appearance but there is a prominent difference between the donkey and the. Mule has an accumulated physical structure of a horse and a donkey does not. Mule ears are smaller than a donkey, but they are longer and have almost the same shape as a horse. A Mule looks more like a donkey along with features like a thick head, thin arms and leg and a mane that is short. But in terms of height, shape, neck, hair and teeth they are very different.
Even the tail of a Mule resembles that of a horse, the donkey has a tail that is coarse like a cow tail. It is also possible to identify a donkey from a mule from the sound it produces. The Mule does not have a prominent sound unlike that of a donkey. It has a sound similar to both a donkey and a horse.
While there is a difference between a donkey and a mule, you may find it difficult to distinguish between both of them.