“The genetic identity of the earliest human-made hybrid animals, the kungas of Syro-Mesopotamia” published in Science Advances

Our researchers described the genetic identity of the oldest human-made hybrid animal called “kunga”, a 4,500-year-old equid which was bred for warfare in ancient Mesopotamia. The study concludes that kungas were hybrids between female domestic donkeys and male hemippes.

The article is authored by E. Andrew Bennett, Jill Weber, Wejden Bendhafer, Sophie Champlot, Joris Peters, Glenn M. Schwartz, Thierry Grange, and Eva-Maria Geigl.

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