How often do animals in the wild cross breed? I know lions, tigers and leopards have crossed in captivity but has it ever happened in the wild? Can Chimps and Bonobos (pygimy chimps) cross? Anyone know of any other combinations that have occurred in the wild?
Hybrid Animals
- Thread starter Dessie32
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Hiya Dessie. Welcome aboard.
There are shed loads of examples of hybridization in the wild, so many, in fact, that within certain genera the concept of species isn't actually that useful.
The classic example is Canidae, the dog family.
Dogs, wolves, coyotes, jackals and Red Wolves are all interfertile, and where their ranges meet sometimes interbreed.
Many animals can be induced to mate with each other in captivity, but their offspring show reduced fertility. So horses and donkeys produce mules, which are almost always sterile. Lions and tigers are crossed by zoos and breeders (not very ethical IMO) but the resulting Tigon/Liger males are infertile. The females can be fertile though, and females of back crosses to Tigers or Lions are also fertile. I believe that 3rd generation males can be fertile too.
In the dog family, however, all crosses produce viable fertile offspring. In Canada particularly there is a huge amount of cross breeding between Coyotes and Wolves. In ontario ,for example, what is defined as a wolf and what as a Coyote could depend on size and ecological niche rather than genetics. One researcher there described the situation there as "Canid Soup". Cause scientists think puns are funny.
[Edited for style 8) ]
There are shed loads of examples of hybridization in the wild, so many, in fact, that within certain genera the concept of species isn't actually that useful.
The classic example is Canidae, the dog family.
Dogs, wolves, coyotes, jackals and Red Wolves are all interfertile, and where their ranges meet sometimes interbreed.
Many animals can be induced to mate with each other in captivity, but their offspring show reduced fertility. So horses and donkeys produce mules, which are almost always sterile. Lions and tigers are crossed by zoos and breeders (not very ethical IMO) but the resulting Tigon/Liger males are infertile. The females can be fertile though, and females of back crosses to Tigers or Lions are also fertile. I believe that 3rd generation males can be fertile too.
In the dog family, however, all crosses produce viable fertile offspring. In Canada particularly there is a huge amount of cross breeding between Coyotes and Wolves. In ontario ,for example, what is defined as a wolf and what as a Coyote could depend on size and ecological niche rather than genetics. One researcher there described the situation there as "Canid Soup". Cause scientists think puns are funny.
[Edited for style 8) ]
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boynamedsue said:
i've heard that Ligers are HUGE because the gene that tells the body "stop growing now" never gets carried over (or turned on)
i've also read that their hunting and killer-instincts are virtually non-existant, they're just gigantic half-ton cuddly house-kitties
The actress Tipi Hedren crossed a male tiger with a female lion producing a Tigon. She claims in her book that the that this tigon shared both parents habits. As you get lions & tigers cohabiting the Gir Forest in india have there been any records of hybrids from there? Have there been any hybrids with Cougars & Jaguars? Or Tigers and Leopards in Maylsia?
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Many macaw species will interbreed in the wild.
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CoffeeJedi said:
Not sure how cuddly they are naturally, breeders would often hand-rear Tigons/Ligers as parents have been known to kill them due to their strange appearance.
Lions and tigers are not known to have crossed in the wild. Their range used to intersect throughout India, Pakistan and much of Iran, and many reports from India describe strange looking tigers. I would suggest it is unlikely to have happened often as tigers and lions social behaviour is so different. It is unlikely there has been significant gene-flow between the species due to the issue of reduced fertility.
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http://abacus.gene.ucl.ac.uk/jim/pap/helhyb.pdf
This paper has a list of observed hybrids in the, there are more tho....
This paper has a list of observed hybrids in the, there are more tho....
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Chimps and bonobos
Until people became aware of the separate staus of bonobos, they were often kept in captivity with common or garden chimpanzees. Because they tend to be less agressive the poor bonobos were often picked on and would have lived pretty miserable lives.
Nonetheless, does anyone know whether they bred with the chimps? If so, what lessons can be learned for human/chimp crosses? Anything?
Until people became aware of the separate staus of bonobos, they were often kept in captivity with common or garden chimpanzees. Because they tend to be less agressive the poor bonobos were often picked on and would have lived pretty miserable lives.
Nonetheless, does anyone know whether they bred with the chimps? If so, what lessons can be learned for human/chimp crosses? Anything?
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I saw a Channel 5 documentary (I know, I know...) about a chimp, who was rumoured to be a human-chimp hybrid (apparently the term is 'humanzee'). This animal walked upright (there was something unusual about it's pelvic structure) and had a light-skinned and very hairless face. It had a rather unfortunate life, including a spell as a test animal, before being rescued by a former owner and put in a sanctuary.
IIRC, it was tested and found to be 100% chimp, although the presenter of the programme claimed that it would be possible to have a viable humanzee, and that rumours of such had been around for many years.
Personally, I wouldn't mind a little chimp DNA. A tail would be nice.
IIRC, it was tested and found to be 100% chimp, although the presenter of the programme claimed that it would be possible to have a viable humanzee, and that rumours of such had been around for many years.
Personally, I wouldn't mind a little chimp DNA. A tail would be nice.
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Actually you share all but about 1.6% of your DNA with chimps.
Too bad about the tail though!
Monkeys split off from the chimp/homo line about 12 million years ago so you well and truly dipped out on the tail.
Come to think of it. Given that humans have mated with just about everything, including disembodied livers and apple pies, surely there must have been chimp/human hybrids produced sometime, somewhere .... surely. :?:
Too bad about the tail though!
Monkeys split off from the chimp/homo line about 12 million years ago so you well and truly dipped out on the tail.
Come to think of it. Given that humans have mated with just about everything, including disembodied livers and apple pies, surely there must have been chimp/human hybrids produced sometime, somewhere .... surely. :?:
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f3nce said:
I looked like a chimp all the way through hi-school. What went wrong? Maybe it was just the spots...
*cries onto keyboard causing short circuit, stash of bananas incinerated in ensuing furnace, for third week running decides not to buy a lottery ticket.*
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From what I've heard (and seen on tv) about Bonobos, they would mate with anything......
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Yeah, bonobos don't have television, so they have to fill their days in somehow - but any results that might be interesting to this thread?
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I believe with regards to birds, as opposed to mammals, since we started classifying them the question of whether two different *kinds* who can (or even do, regularly) interbreed and whether they're considered two different species have not been treated as exactly the same issue, if that makes sense.
eg Black-capped and Carolina Chickadees have mostly different ranges and definitely different songs, sizes in addition the former have white wing patches. They've *always* been considered seperate species. Nevertheless, there are naturally occuring hybrids where they overlap. OTOH, Bullock's and Baltimore Orioles have been repeatedly lumped together, divided into two, lumped together, etc, etc. They are currently all called Northern Orioles these days, IIRC. But that may change yet.
I think (errr? open to correction) that in general it's easier for birds of unquestionably different species but the same genus (ie mallards & pintails, but not ducks & geese, they're too dissimilar) to breed and produce offspring than it is for their furry cousins.
Like people forming opinions about the taxonomy and systematics of FTMB threads, orinthologists are either mergers or splitters.
eg Black-capped and Carolina Chickadees have mostly different ranges and definitely different songs, sizes in addition the former have white wing patches. They've *always* been considered seperate species. Nevertheless, there are naturally occuring hybrids where they overlap. OTOH, Bullock's and Baltimore Orioles have been repeatedly lumped together, divided into two, lumped together, etc, etc. They are currently all called Northern Orioles these days, IIRC. But that may change yet.
I think (errr? open to correction) that in general it's easier for birds of unquestionably different species but the same genus (ie mallards & pintails, but not ducks & geese, they're too dissimilar) to breed and produce offspring than it is for their furry cousins.
Like people forming opinions about the taxonomy and systematics of FTMB threads, orinthologists are either mergers or splitters.
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that'd be asking too much!
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Goose-Duck Hybrid?
There's a small moderately polluted duck pond on Lordship Rec, Tottenham, London which i visit ocaisionally and for the last two or three years every spring/summer one of the regular inhabitants has been a wierd bird that looks exactly like a cross between a typical green headed mallard and the big brown geese that also frequent the pond - he used to be a bit of a billy no-mates and was sadly shunned by the other birds, but now he seems to have two young mallard friends
loads of people have seen him and reckon the only answer is he's a hybrid, but is that possible? :?:
edit: whoops just seen the thread about hybrids, er feel free to merge this or whatever sorry.
There's a small moderately polluted duck pond on Lordship Rec, Tottenham, London which i visit ocaisionally and for the last two or three years every spring/summer one of the regular inhabitants has been a wierd bird that looks exactly like a cross between a typical green headed mallard and the big brown geese that also frequent the pond - he used to be a bit of a billy no-mates and was sadly shunned by the other birds, but now he seems to have two young mallard friends
loads of people have seen him and reckon the only answer is he's a hybrid, but is that possible? :?:
edit: whoops just seen the thread about hybrids, er feel free to merge this or whatever sorry.
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i was goosed by a swan. painful.
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Leaferne said:Would love to see a pic of this critter.
not as far as i know, next time i'm there (this sunday possibly) i'll try and grab a shot with my phone - and get a link up