Rarity: A Colorado Mule Gives Birth

[RedGlitter]

High up on the Mesa, in the Grand Valley town of Collbran, a tiny four legged wonder sticks close to its mothers side. It is the latest addition to the ranch owned by Larry and Laura Amos. But this is a once-in-a-million, genetically impossible occurrence of a mule giving birth.

The mother of this beauty, is named Kate. She is a mule. Mules are a hybrid of two species, a female horse and a male donkey. Breeding the two results in a species with 63 chromosomes. A horse has 64, a donkey has 62. A mule can't reproduce because you need an even number of chromosomes to divide into pairs.

This little wonder came into the world in late April to the shock of the Amos family. Doting mother Kate has no idea what she has accomplished.

According to the magazine, "Mules and More", it is theoretically impossible for mules to be sires or dams. Mule fertility is so rare that the Romans had a saying, "Cum mula peperit" meaning "when a mule foals," or in modern terms, "when hell freezes over."

A full article on the baby is linked to this story from the "Mules and More" web site. It explains, the baby would not technically be a mule (half horse and half donkey) since it would have to be either one-third horse and two-thirds donkey, or two-thirds horse and one-third donkey.

Larry and Laura Amos own Winterhawk Outfitters in Collbran. They guide elk hunters, take pack trips, and fishing trips to remote lakes and streams in the Flat Tops Wilderness. They have taught American soldiers the fine art of mule packing for use in Afghanistan and Iraq.





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