Have you ever heard of an animal called the Zonkey? You know, a creature that is the love child of a male donkey and a female zebra. Just recently, a zonkey was brought into the world, and it comes all the way from Mexico.
The animal is called Khumba, and he was born in the Reynosa Zoo on April 21 of this year. The reason why zonkeys are rare is because the chromosomes of zebras and donkeys are not compatible, so a birth like this does not happen all the time. Since the chromosomes are not compatible, it is not clear why on some occasions a donkey is able to impregnate a zebra.
What makes this birth even stranger is the fact that Khumba's father is a dwarf donkey. How he managed to mate with a zebra that is much taller is quite confusing, but impressive nonetheless.
Despite being a rare creature in the animal kingdom, Khumba is not the first recorded zonkey. There's a zonkey in Italy known only as Ippo, while there are others in China, Japan, and the United States.
Animal mix breeds happen on a regular basis around the world. Some of the well-known mixed breed animals include ligers, which are a mix between a tiger and a lion. There's also the mule, animal that comes from both a donkey and a horse. Surprisingly, many folks have no idea that mules are mixed, not to mention that these creatures are unable to breed. Secret strange, but true.
Digging deeper, we've come across a strange mix breed animal called the Wholphin. No, it's not a wolf and a dolphin, it's actually a whale and a dolphin coming together to create this wonderful beast. Furthermore, there's another creature known only as the Beefalo. Funny name, we must admit. Well, this animal is a cross between a buffalo and a cow.
Scientists believe this animal is better than a cow, since it offers the taste of beef, and the leanness of a buffalo. In addition, the meat from a beefalo should also be healthier than that of a cow. Chances are, in the future we'll be eating beefalo instead of just beef, how exciting.
