Trivia question for Sep-28-2011

Olivia and Carter came up with this odd looking creature.  These guys are obviously a hybrid between two different species.  The creation of such hybrids has been going on since 1815 when Lord Morton mated a quagga stallion to a chestnut Arabian mare. The result was a female hybrid which resembled both parents. This prompted other to do their own experimenting which has resulted in these strikingly different equine.

During the South African War, the Boers crossed two different species, to produce an animal for ‘transport work’, chiefly for hauling guns. A specimen was captured by British forces and presented to King Edward VII by Lord Kitchener.

So here are their questions:  Tell us what this animal is and how they came up with its name?  Also, these guys have appeared in several TV shows and movies, tell us two shows/movies that featured this species?

Good Luck 😉

Answer:

Congratulations goes out to Michelle Brooks Clay and Bradley Walker for both correctly identify the cool equine we featured. The animal is a zebroid (also zedonk, zebra mule, and zebrule) is the offspring of any cross between a zebra and any other equine: essentially, a zebra hybrid. In most cases, the sire is a zebra stallion. Offspring of a donkey sire and zebra dam, called a zebra hinny, or donkra, do exist but are rare. Zebroids have been bred since the 19th century.

Today, various zebroids are bred as riding and draft animals, and as curiosities in circuses and smaller zoos. Zorses are bred in Africa and used for trekking on Mount Kenya; the zebra parent gives resistance to the nagana pest disease.  They are named by starting with the species name of the male of the pairings i.e. a zorse is the offspring of a male zebra and a female horse. This cross is also called a zebrula, zebrule, zebra mule or golden zebra. The rarer reverse pairing is sometimes called a horbra, hebra, zebrinny or zebret. Like most other animal hybrids, the zorse is sterile.

Zorses have appeared in several TV shows and movies. In the Viva La Bam episode Groundhogs Day in the final race, Brandon Dicamillo’s sled is a zorse. It was colored pink, blue, purple and red and on the ‘uncommentary’ on the DVD seasons of ‘Viva La Bam’, Tim Glomb says “If you send me a list of all the episodes where the zorse is I’ll give you a dollar”. Also, the 2007 movie I’m Reed Fish features a zorse named Zabrina. In the movie Racing Stripes, an animated zorse appears in the alternate ending. It is the son of Stripes (a zebra) and Sandy, a grey Arabian mare.  Here is more on these cool looking animals: Zebroid / Zorse

Thanks for playing along 😉