Kunga: "War Donkey" Bred 4,500 Years Ago by Ancient Mesopotamians was the Oldest Known Hybrid Animal

It seems that our penchant for making, or breeding, hybrid animals started a long, long time ago. Experts discovered the remains of a Kunga, the earliest known hybrid animal bred by people. This ‘war donkey’ is from Syro-Mesopotamia, and existed around 4,500 years ago. 

The animal is a combination or cross between a donkey and a hemippe, a type of Asiatic wild ass. According to the researchers, these animals were highly valued and priced. This can be seen through the location where the remains of this hybrid were discovered. Skeletons of the animals were found in a royal burial complex dating back to 2600 B.C.

According to paleogeneticist Eva-Maria Geigl of Institut Jacques Monod in Paris, the Kungas were probably created for warfare, as they could pull wagons. 

Image credit: Glenn Schwartz/Johns Hopkins University

#animals #ancienttimes #history #mesopotamia #hybrid #science

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