HYBRIDSHYBRIDS

Hybrids Hybrids are theare the offspring of two different offspring of two different species of plant or animalspecies of plant or animal. . Many occur Many occur naturally in the wild. Some have been naturally in the wild. Some have been engineered artificially in recent years.engineered artificially in recent years.

LigersLigers are the hybrid offspring of a male lion and a female tiger.

They are huge; adult ligers can weigh almost as much as a lion and tiger combined. They can eat up to 30 pounds of raw meat a day. Because of their mismatched genes, they are prone to blindness, weak hearts, deafness, and short life spans.

Male ligers and tigons are sterile, while the females are usually fertile.

Patrick the ligerPatrick the liger

Java the tigon, a hybrid offspring of a male tiger and a female lion.

Tigons look a lot like ligers but are much smaller; they weigh half of what ligers weigh. They also have many of the same health problems as ligers, due to their mismatched genes.

A Leopon is the result of breeding a male leopard and a female lion. The head of the animal is similar to that of a lion while the rest of the body displays characteristics of leopards. Leopons are larger than leopards, like to climb, and enjoy water.

ZebroidsZebroidsA zorsezorse is the result of crossbreeding a horsehorse and a zebrazebra.

A zonkeyzonkey is the hybrid offspring of a donkeydonkey and a zebrazebra.

A zonyzony is the offspring of a ponypony and a zebra.zebra.

ZonkeyZonkey

ZonyZony

ZorseZorse

All these three are called zebroidszebroids - defined as a cross between a zebra and any other equid.

Eclyse the ZorseEclyse the Zorse

Eclyse the zorse is a hybrid born from a horse fatherhorse father and a zebra motherzebra mother. She inherited the zebra stripes from her mother (dominant trait), and white patches from her father (also a dominant trait).

MulesMules

Mules are the hybrid offspring of a female horse and a male donkey.

Horses have 64 chromosomes, and donkeys have 62. Mules have 63 chromosomes, which means they cannot evenly divide during meiosis. This explains why nearly all mules are sterile.

A CamaCama is a hybrid between a camelcamel and a llamallama. They are born via artificial insemination due to the huge difference in sizes of the animals which disallow natural breeding. A Cama usually has the short ears and long tails of a camel but the cloven hooves of a llama. Also very noticeable is the absence of the hump. Rama the Cama and her parents

Rama at two days old Rama at two years old.

Sheep-Goat Hybrid  An unusual case of a goat-sheep hybrid was reported by veterinarians in Botswana in 2000. The animal was born naturally from the mating of a female goat (which is generally thought not possible) with a male sheep that were kept together. The hybrid had 57 chromosomes, intermediate between sheep (54) and goats (60), proving it was a real hybrid and not a case of mistaken identity. Its features were halfway between sheep and goats. 

Grolar, PizzlyGrolar, PizzlyA grolar/pizzly hybrid is the product of a grizzly beargrizzly bear and a polar bear.polar bear. Although the two bears are genetically similar, they tend to avoid each other in the wild. During 16 April 2006, a hybrid bear was shot dead by Jim Martell, a hunter from the United States, in Canada. It was the first time a hybrid was found in the wild; previous records of grolars or pizzlies have only been found in zoos.

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Wolf DogWolf Dog

Dogs and wolves tend to crossbreed rather freely. A wolf’s jaws are much stronger than those of a dog and are often used to exert dominance. For a dog-wolf hybrid, it is not known when it will display a wolf behavior or dog behavior or something in between. Obedience training is a must in order to tame the animal.

WolphinA wolphin is a rare hybrid formed from a cross between a bottlenose dolphinbottlenose dolphin and a false killer whale.false killer whale. There are currently only two in captivity at the Sea Life Park in Hawaii. A wolphin's size, colour and shape are intermediate between the parent species. The first captive wolphin was Kekaimalu, which shows mixed heritage even in its teeth: bottlenose dolphins have 88, false killer whales have 44 and Kekaimalu has 66!

Kekaimalu, The Wolphin

Keikaimalu the wolphin (bottom), with her parents: a false killer whale (top) and a bottlenose dolphin (middle)