Animals: Fertile Mule

Forlornly braying, the mule lives a life of toil, barren of love. For like many hybrids, the mule is sterile. So skeptical of the few reported cases of mule fertility is Encyclopaedia Britannica that it refuses to consider them authentic. But last week from Natal, South Africa, issued a report that appeared to have the stamp of authority. In a letter to Nature (British weekly), Ernest Warren of the Natal Museum reported the following "indisputable example of fertility in the mule":

"On November 24, 1924, a common mule on the farm of W. J. Kilian...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!