What exactly is a hybrid animal ? With pict 18 Epic Animal Hybrid
Species are defined as groups of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding. However, a hybrid animal occurs when parents from two different (but usually extremely closely related) species are able to produce offspring.
The hybrid offspring of two different species are typically infertile so not able to reproduce, though there are a number of exceptions. With scientific intervention and certain breeding techniques (including artificial insemination), it is possible to create a breeding line of hybridized animals that are actually fertile.
hybrid animals are usually for research, namely the marriage between species with almost the same DNA
You’ve probably heard of a mule (a cross between a female horse and a male donkey), and maybe you’ve heard of a hinny (a cross between a female donkey and a male horse). But did you know that there are dozens of examples of hybrid animals all around us?
Some of these hybrid animals occur in a natural manner, whilst most of them occur due to human involvement and selective breeding.
The internet is full of photoshopped pictures of weird animal mash-ups, but below we list 18 of the most epic hybrid animals that actually exist:
18 List Hybrid Animal In the World
BoaConda
Boaconda hybrid boa constrictor imperator x yellow anaconda eunectes
Boaconda (Yellow Anaconda X Colombian Boa #Hybrid)
Credit: Crystal Palace Reptiles
Liger
Male tiger & female lion
Liger hybrid
Liger – the largest of the big cats
The liger is a hybrid between a male lion and a female tiger, and is the largest feline alive today – weighing up to 420 kg. They have delicate striped patterns on tan-colored fur that gradually fade away in different patches. Ligers are not known to exist in the wild (as their parents’ habitats don’t overlap), only being seen in captivity where they have been selectively breed.
Tigon
Male lion & female tiger
tigon hybrid animal
An impressive tigon specimen
A tigon has the same parents as a liger, but with the parents’ genders flipped around – a male tiger and a female lion. The tigon body is a light tan with stripes and a white underbelly, and a large maned and spotted head. Tigons only exist in captivity as part of breeding programs as they are usually sterile (though there have been a number of notable exceptions).
Jaglion
Male jaguar & female lion
Jaglion siblings
These unique hybrid big cats are called ‘jaglions’ – and there are only two known of in existence. Jahzara and Tsunami are naturally born siblings between a male jaguar and a female lion raised together at the same zoo, and now live at Bear Creek Wildlife Sanctuary in Ontario, Canada
Leopon
Male leopard & female lion
Leopon - one of the most beautiful hybrid animals?
The spotted leopon
The leopon is a very rare hybrid of a male leopard and a lioness that’s only ever been produced in captivity. The leopon has stunning looks – much like a mythical beast, with the head of a lion and the body of a leopard. The first leopon was created in India in 1910, and over a century later there are believed to be only around 100 in the world today.
Savanna cat
Domestic cat & serval
Savanna cat
Savanna cat on a leash
Savanna cats are the offspring of a domestic cat and a serval – a medium-sized African wild cat. These stunning hybrid cats tend to be more social than domestic cats, and are often described as dog-like.
The savanna cat enjoys playing fetch, has no fear of water, and is happy walking on leashes. They also have their serval heritage intact, with the ability to jump 3 meters high straight off the ground.
Toyger
Bengal cat & tabby cat
toyger hybrid cat
A toyger with its big cat coat
Toygers are a designer cat breed, bred from Bengal and tabby cats to create a wild tiger-like look on a completely domesticated cat. The animal was initially bred by Judy Sugden in 1980 to help prevent the extinction of wild cats by enticing big cat lovers to this smaller, lookalike hybrid cat. They have dark markings on a bright orange background on top and a white underside, and a larger and longer body than typical domestic cats to better sport their tiger-style vertical striping.
Cheetoh
Bengal cat & ocicat
Cheetoh
Cheetah-style cheetoh
The cheetoh was first bred as recently as 2001 by a breeder hoping to create a new feline displaying the physical characteristics of a wild cat with the gentleness of a domestic cat. They succeeded, and the cheetah has a stunning, soft coat that makes it look a little like a miniature leopard or cheetah, with small rosettes or spots in a range of brown, gold, and cinnamon colors. Cheetohs are one of the largest breeds of all domestic cats, but still very rare hybrids.
Grolar bear
Polar bear & brown bear
grolar bear
Two grolar bears play fighting
Also known as polar grizz, polizzle, pizzly bear, grizzlar, or nanulakm, these impressive hybrid apex predators are a combination of grizzly bear and polar bear, and somewhat unusual in that they’re seen more frequently in the wild than in zoos.
The first confirmed sighting of a grolar was in 2006, confirmed by DNA testing of a strange-looking bear shot on Banks Island in the Canadian Arctic. It’s likely that climate change is increasing the interaction of brown bears and polar bears in the wild, causing them to increasingly share overlapping territories.
Zebroid
Zebra & any other equine
Zebroid
A paid of zebroids
A zebroid is a generic term for a hybrid of the zebra with any other equine. The zebra was first cross-bred in 1815 and referenced in Darwin’s The Origin of Species. The thinking at the time was that breeding would bring out the best of both species – zebras were less susceptible to disease than horses, while domesticated horses are easier to train.
Subsequent frequent breeding of zebras with equines has led to many different types of zebroid hybrids – zorses, zonkeys, zonies, zedonks, and zebmule, many of which are used as working animals, and all of which have varying degrees of unique zebra stripes.
Coywolf
Coyote & wolf
Coywolf
Coywolf – half wolf, half coyote.
Coyotes and wolves only diverged around 200,000 years ago, and the two species are still able to mate and produce viable offspring, known as a coywolf. Coywolf share many of the characteristics of their two parents, and are somewhere in between a coyote and a wolf in size when fully grown. It’s not known whether coywolf are animals that mate for life – like both their parent species do.
Wholphin
Male false killer whale & female bottlenose dolphin
Wholphin
The cool-looking wholphin
A wholphin is a rare hybrid, born from a female bottlenose dolphin and a male false killer whale breeding. The size, color, and shape of a wholphin is a blend of the parent species, giving them a truly unique look. Interesting wholphin fact – they have 66 teeth, exactly halfway between the bottlenose dolphins’ 88 teeth a the false killer whale’s 44 teeth.
Wholphins are known to exist in the wild, and referred to by fishermen as ‘The Great Gray Beast‘. Your best chance of seeing one, however, is to head to Sea Life Park in Hawaii, where they currently have two wolphins in captivity.
Narluga
Narwal & beluga whale
narluga hybrid
A narluga whale smiles for the camera
Narwhals and beluga whales are similar in size and the only two species in the Monodontidae family, so perhaps it not too surprising that they are able to breed successfully in the wild. Though narlugas are extremely rare, there have been a number of recent sightings in the North Atlantic, as well as reports of a school of beluga whales adopting a lost narwhal in Canadian waters. Narlugas are the largest and heaviest animals on this hybrid list.
Cama
Camel & llama
Cama
A grazing cama
First created in 1998 at the Camel Reproduction Centre in Dubai in 1998, these hybrid creatures come from breeding a male dromedary camel from Asia and a female llama from South America. The goal of this breeding project was to create an animal with the size and strength of a camel, and the wool production and milder temperament of a llama. Camas have no camel hump and their size is somewhere between the camel and llama.
Beefalo
Buffalo & cow
Beefalo
Beefalo
Beefalo are the fertile offspring of domestic cattle and American bison (known as buffalo). It’s thought that the first crosses of these two species occurred around 250 years ago, followed by intentional crossbreeding from the 19th century onwards.
The beefalo was created to combine the best attributes of both animals to improve beef production, but has sadly resulted in a serious setback to wild American bison conservation, with wild bison herds becoming polluted with cattle genes.
Dzo
Cow & wild yak
Dzo
A grazing dzo
Originating in the high plateaus of Mongolia and Tibet, the dzo is a male hybrid animal of a yak and a domestic cow. Whilst males are usually sterile, the female hybrid – known as a dzomo or zhom – is fertile. These hybrids tend to be larger and stronger than both cows and yaks, and are prized for their productivity of meat and milk.
Zubron
Cow & European bison
Zubron
A mighty zubron
Zubron were bred by mating domestic cattle with a European bison, with the aim of creating a new form of domestic cattle that were larger, stronger, and more resistant to disease.
Zubron are extremely large hybrids, with the males weighing up to 1,200 kilograms, and are tough animals, capable of tolerating harsh winters. The first zubron was bred in 1847, but the project fizzled out for a range of reasons, leaving just a small herd wandering freely in Poland’s Bialowieski National Park.
Geep
Goat & sheep
Geep
A geep – the cutest hybird?
We finish our collection of hybrid animals with this cutie! The sheep-goat hybrid is known as a geep – or sometimes a ‘shoat’. Breeding between goat and sheep does sometimes occur in the wild, but their offspring are usually stillborn. There are only two known cases of live geeps, but these were sadly sterile due to the makeup of their chromosomes.
And that’s our list of the coolest hybrid animals on earth. Any that surprise you? Or any hybrid species that you think we should add to this list? Join in and let us know in the comments section below!
