Question

A zonkey is a hybrid. A zonkey is the result of breeding a zebra and a donkey. The zebra has a diploid number of 46 chromosomes. A donkey has a diploid number of 62 chromosomes. How many chromosomes would the zonkey have as a diploid number?

Answer 1

A zonkey, being a hybrid of a zebra and a donkey, would have 54 chromosomes as its diploid number, which is the sum of half the chromosome number from each parent.

Step-by-step explanation:

A zonkey inherits chromosomes from both of its parents, the zebra and the donkey. Since the zebra has a diploid number of 46 chromosomes and the donkey has a diploid number of 62 chromosomes, their offspring, the zonkey, will have a chromosome number that is the sum of half the chromosome number from each parent. This means a zonkey would have (46/2) + (62/2) = 23 + 31 = 54 chromosomes as its diploid number.