Hybrid animals are specimens resulting from the crossbreeding of animals of different species. From this cross are born beings whose appearance mixes the characteristics of their parents, so they are quite curious.
Not all species can mate with others and this event is rare. Animal Expert then presents a list of examples of real hybrid animals, with their most significant features, photos and videos that show them. Read on to discover rare, curious and beautiful hybrid animals!
- A hybrid is an animal born from the cross between two parents of different species or subspecies.
- It is difficult to establish physical characteristics.
- But these specimens mix the characteristics of both parents.
In general, hybrid or cross-animals may be stronger, so in many cases it is human beings who encourage crossbreeding between certain species to take advantage of their young as working animals. However, this phenomenon can also occur in nature. Now, are there fertile hybrid animals? In other words, can they have children and generate new species? We have answered that question below.
Among the characteristics of hybrid animals is the fact that most are sterile, that is, unable to generate new offspring. But why can’t hybrid animals breed?
Each species has a specific chromosomal charge that is transmitted to its children, but must also match at the cellular level during the meiosis process, which is nothing more than the cell division that occurs during sexual reproduction to give birth to a new genome. . In meiosis, paternal chromosomes are duplicated and receive a genetic charge of both to define specific characteristics, such as fur color, size, etc. However, being animals of two different species, the number of chromosomes may not be the same and each chromosome corresponds. a specific characteristic may not match that of the other parent. In other words: if chromosome 1 of the father corresponds to the color of the fur and chromosome 1 of the mother corresponds to the size of the tail, the genetic load is not manufactured correctly, which means that most hybrid animals are sterile.
Despite this, fertile hybridization is possible in plants, and it seems that global warming encourages the mestage of animals of different species as a means of survival. Although most of these hybrids are sterile, it is possible that some animals from relatives of nearby species may, in turn, generate a new generation. This has been observed to occur between the rodents Ctenomys minutus and Ctenomys lami, provided that the former is female and the second male; otherwise, the offspring is sterile.
To better understand the hybridization process and what animal crossings currently exist, we’ll talk below about the most popular or common examples. The 11 hybrid animals are:
It is the hybrid animal that results from the cross between a narwhal and a beluga. This crossing of marine animals is unusual, but both species are part of the Family Monodontid.
The snail can only be seen in the waters of the Arctic Ocean and, although it may be the result of a cross caused by global warming, there are records of a first observation made in 1980. This hybrid can be up to 6 meters long and weighs about 1600 tons.
The ligre is the cross between a lion and a tiger. The appearance of this hybrid animal is a mixture of both parents: the back and legs tend to have tiger stripes, while the head looks more like that of a lion; males even develop a mane.
The ligre can reach 4 meters in length, so it is considered the largest feline that exists. However, their legs are generally shorter than their parents’.
It is also possible that a hybrid may be born from the cross between a male tiger and a lioness, called a tiger. Unlike the ligre, the tiger is smaller than its parents and resembles a striped furry lion. In fact, size is practically the only difference between ligre and tiger.
Beefalo is the result of a cross between a domestic cow and an American bison. The cow breed influences the appearance of the beefalo, but in general it looks like a big, hairy bull.
Generally, farmers encourage this crossing because the meat produced contains less fat than livestock. Interestingly, we can say that among these hybrid animals, reproduction is possible, so they are of the few to be fertile.
Mating a zebra with a donkey results in the appearance of a zebraus. This is possible because both species come from the equine family. This crossing of animals occurs naturally in the savannahs of Africa, where the two species coexist.
Zebrasno has a zebra-like bone structure, but with grey fur, except for legs that have a striped pattern on a white background.
Zebrasno is not the only hybrid that zebras can develop, as these animals can also mate with another member of the equine family, the horse. Zebra is possible when parents are a male zebra and a mare.
The zebra is smaller than a horse, with a thin, stiff mane. In its furs, with backgrounds of different colors, the typical stripes of the zebras are observed. This is certainly one of the few but beautiful hybrid animals, and in the following video of Vaenney we can see a beautiful specimen.
Another curious hybrid marine animal is the balfinho, the result of mating between a fake orca and the dolphin. Being the false black orca orca belonging to the dolphin family, balfinho is actually a cross between two species of dolphins, so its appearance is similar to that known in these species. Its size and teeth are characteristics that help to differentiate it, since the balfinho is a little smaller and has fewer teeth than the orca and the dolphin.
This crossing of animals again involves members of the equine family, as the bardot is the result of the crossing between a horse and a donkey. This mating is possible thanks to human intervention, since the two species do not coexist in the same habitat. Thus, bardot is one of the hybrid animals created by man.
The bardot is the size of a horse, but its head looks more like a donkey’s. The tail is hairy and its body is usually bulky.
Unlike the bardote, the cross between a mare and a donkey results in a mule, a common mating in cattle breeding areas. This animal has been known since ancient times and male and female can be born. In fact, mullet is probably the most well-known and widespread hybrid animal in the world, as it has been used for centuries as a working animal and transport. However, we are faced with a sterile animal, so its reproduction is not possible.
Mules are larger than donkeys, but smaller than horses. They are distinguished by their superior strength to donkeys and by their fur similar to them.
The cougar is the result of a cross between a leopard and a male cougar. It is thinner than a cougar and has leopard-spotted skin. The legs are short and their general appearance is intermediate between the two parental species. The interbreeding is not done naturally and the coupardo is part of the list of hybrid animals created by humans. For this reason, there are currently no known living specimens of this crossing.
After the cross between a camel and a female flame, the bed appears, a curious hybrid animal whose appearance is distinguished by a total mixture of the two species. Thus, the head comes closer to that of the flame, while the color of the fur and the body comes closer to that of the camel, except for the lump, since the bed does not have it.
This hybrid animal is not produced naturally, making it a cross of artificial animals. In the following Video by WeirdTravelMTT, you can see such a sample.
Although the aforementioned hybrid animals are the most well known, the truth is that they are not the only ones that exist. There are also the following animal crossings:
Have you already known all these rare and curious hybrid animals? Although most were developed by humans, some of them appeared quite naturally.
If you would like to read articles similar to, we recommend that you visit our Curiosities section of the animal world.