When we were learning about genetics in November, Tiffany, Carlos and a few other students brought up an article in the NY Post about a cat giving birth to puppies. "Cool," I said, "but highly unlikely."A little research confirmed my suspicion. According to the NY Daily News, blood tests show that a cat had not given birth to puppies. Sorry ladies and gentlemen, there's no such thing as a "dat" or "cog."
Don't believe everything you see, hear, or read about. A good scientist will be skeptical of information that is not supported by evidence!
At least we still have ligers, tigons, mules, and hinnys (hinnies?)! A liger is a hybrid cross between a male lion Panthera leo and a female tiger Panthera tigris. A tigon is a hybrid cross between a male tiger and a female lion. To my knowledge, these crosses have only occurred in captivity and not in the wild. These hybrids make more sense, because they share a similar evolutionary history and even belong to the same genus Panthera.
What is a mule and a hinny? First person to correctly identify these hybrid crosses (using the proper scientific terms) wins a sweet prize! Submit your answer in the comments section at the bottom right hand corner of this post.
7 comments:
Gabriela thinks...
A mule is a horse and donkey crossed together.(Right?) And A hinny...? Is that what you call a baby mule? I think that's wrong, but what do I get for getting the mule thing right?(If it's right,) Do I get still get a prize? If I don't, consider this comment never being here.
You're favorite student, Gabriela says...
I figured it out! I know what a hinny is Mr. Wu. A hinny is the offspring of a male horse and a female donkey (jennet or jenny). They are rarer than mules, which are the offspring of a male donkey (jackass or jack) and a female horse. Like the mule, the hinny is almost always sterile.
Still on a roll, Gabriela
Oh and to explain why a mule and a hinny aren't the same it's because a mule is produced when a male donkey and a female horse come together.
Gabriela, you rock! Thanks for reading my posts and posting your comments. You've almost got the prize in the bag...you just need to tell me what the scientific names (in binomial nomenclature) of a horse and donkey. You can do it!
So close to the prize, Gabriela
Equus caballus - Horse
Equus asinus - Donkey
Correct?
Oh and what's the prize in the bag?
A hurt and confused Gabriela,
Hey Mr. Wu, how come you can update your blog, but not tell me if I'm right about the answer? And are you avoiding me in school? Everytime I try to come to up, you make yourself busy.Come on, stop making me wait and read your comments!
I'm sorry Gabriela, you are the winner and you did get the prize!! When you come to class tomorrow, I'll give you your award...
Apologies for my flakiness,
Mr. Wu
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