A Zonkey is a cross between a zebra and a donkey.
Apparently zebras and donkeys don't interbreed very often (for which we're all grateful) and that's what makes Zonkeys so unusual. Zonkeys are like mules in that for genetic reasons, they're typically incapable of reproducing (donkeys have 62 chromosomes and zebras have between 32 and 46).
A Zebrinny is the offspring of a male horse and a female zebra and a Zebrula is what happens when a male zebra mates with a female horse. Zeedonk refers to the offspring of any horse paired with any zebra.
Ain't that a kick in the head?
Now here's the kicker: courtships between the two species are especially difficult because the horse mating ritual involves the stallion expressing interest by nipping at the mare's head. The mare responds by kicking at the stallion's head, until she's certain of his affection and feels she's ready to commit.
Because this "Honey, bite me again and I'll kick you in the head" behavior is stronger in wild equines than in domestic horses, horse stallions are frequently disheartened by the mare zebra's prolonged roughhouse behavior and quickly lose interest.
What's odd is that naturalists explain the biting/head-kicking ritual as a learned behavior that equines acquire from watching other equine courtships, and isn't "natural" or innate at all.
I guess it's a good thing horses and zebras don't have internet access or PPV TV channels, like people do.
Too bad horses and zebras can't be convinced that biting and head-kicking, even if it seems exciting and "Everybody else is doing it," isn't a natural part of courtship at all.
