- Where to see one
- 4 U.S. zoos in our directory hold mule, confirmed against each zoo's own animal list.
Conservation status
Not Evaluated
This species has not been assessed for the IUCN Red List, so it sits outside the threat scale entirely.
About the mule
The mule is a domestic hybrid between a male donkey, or jack, and a female horse. The opposite cross, between a stallion and a female donkey, is called a hinny and is less common. Mules vary widely in size, from miniature animals under 125 cm (50 in) to draught mules standing up to 180 cm (70 in) at the withers, and they may carry any coat color of the horse or donkey. The head and forequarters tend to resemble the sire, and the hindquarters and tail the dam. Mules are described as patient, hardy and longer-lived than horses. They were bred in Western Asia before 1000 BC and later became favored draught animals on farms and for pulling boats.
Mule facts
- The Hittites valued a mule at three times the price of a good horse.
- George Washington bred mules at Mount Vernon and found they worked harder and longer than horses.
- Idaho Gem, born in 2003, was the first cloned equine and was a mule foal.
- Twenty-mule teams of eighteen mules and two horses hauled borax out of Death Valley from 1883 to 1889.
Where to see mule in the U.S.
4 zoos across 4 states
Find the closest one
Rank the 4 zoos holding mule by how far they are from you. Your location is used in your browser to sort this list and is never sent to us.
Florida· 1
Illinois· 1
New York· 1
North Dakota· 1
AZAThe Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Accredited members have passed an independent inspection of animal care and welfare, safety, conservation and education, repeated every five years. Many smaller facilities never apply, so “not accredited” isn't a verdict on its own. What accreditation means · How we check this
Built from each zoo's own published animal list.
