A hinny is a
domestic equine
hybrid, the offspring of a male
horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...
(a
stallion) and a female
donkey
The donkey or ass is a domesticated equine. It derives from the African wild ass, ''Equus africanus'', and may be classified either as a subspecies thereof, ''Equus africanus asinus'', or as a separate species, ''Equus asinus''. It was domes ...
(a
jenny). It is the
reciprocal cross to the more common
mule
The mule is a domestic equine hybrid between a donkey, and a horse. It is the offspring of a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare). The horse and the donkey are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes; of the two ...
, which is the product of a male donkey (a
jack) and a female horse (a
mare
A mare is an adult female horse or other equidae, equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more th ...
). The hinny is distinct from the mule both in
physiology
Physiology (; ) is the science, scientific study of function (biology), functions and mechanism (biology), mechanisms in a life, living system. As a branches of science, subdiscipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ syst ...
and
temperament
In psychology, temperament broadly refers to consistent individual differences in behavior that are biologically based and are relatively independent of learning, system of values and attitudes.
Some researchers point to association of tempera ...
as a consequence of
genomic imprinting and is also less common.
Many supposed examples of the
jumart, a supposed hybrid between a horse and a cow in
European folklore, were found to be hinnies.
Description
The hinny is the offspring of a stallion and a jenny or female donkey, and is thus the
reciprocal cross to the more common mule foaled by a jack (male donkey) out of a
mare
A mare is an adult female horse or other equidae, equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more th ...
. Like the mule, the hinny displays
hybrid vigour (heterosis).
In general terms, in both these hybrids the foreparts and head of the animal are similar to those of the sire, while the hindparts and tail are more similar to those of the dam. A hinny is generally smaller than a mule, with shorter ears and a lighter head; the tail is tasselled like that of its donkey mother.
The distinct
phenotype
In genetics, the phenotype () is the set of observable characteristics or traits of an organism. The term covers the organism's morphology (physical form and structure), its developmental processes, its biochemical and physiological propert ...
s of the hinny and the mule are partly attributable to genomic imprinting – an element of
epigenetic inheritance.
Hinnies and mules differ in temperament despite sharing
nuclear genomes; this too is believed to be attributable to the action of imprinted genes.
Fertility, sterility and rarity
According to most reports, hinnies are sterile and are not capable of reproduction. The male hinny can mate but has testicles that will only produce malformed spermatozoa.
The dam of a foal carried to term in
Henan
Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...
, China, in 1981, is variously reported to have been a mule or a hinny.
References
{{Authority control
Domesticated animals
Equid hybrids
Livestock