A zonkey comes from a zebra (46 diploid chromosomes) and a donkey (62 diploid chromosomes).

What is the cromosome number of the zonkey?

What would happen when meiosis occurs in the zonkeys reproductive organs?

Why zonkeys are ussualy sterile?

Q1. The answer is 53 chromosomes

Zebra has 44 diploid chromosomes (2n = 44). Zebra's gametes are haploid, so they will have 22 chromosomes (n = 22).

Donkey has 62 diploid chromosomes (2n = 62). Zebra's gametes are haploid, so they will have 31 chromosomes (n = 31).

After fusion of zebra's gamete (n = 22) and donkey's gamete (n = 31), the zonkey's zygote will have 22 + 31 = 53 chromosomes

Q2 and Q3. In the meiosis, the number of chromosomes is reduced by half. Since zonkey has 53 chromosomes, after meiosis it should have 53/2 chromosomes, which is not the whole number. This is the reason why they cannot produce normal gametes that will result, after the fusion, in the production of normal diploid zygote