Animal Hybrids
Most animal breeds are easy enough to identify. But things get a little complicated when two animals that shouldn’t have a child end up having one anyway. This can have disturbing and exciting results.
Whether they look like an animal out of a fantasy movie or something indeed out of this world, here are some new strange breeds that have come from two unlikely parents.
Liger
One of the most infamous hybrids is first on our list. The liger is a large feline that looks as if it could be the next king big cat. They’re what you get with a male lion and female tiger mating.
Ligers are enormous, usually larger than both of their parent species. They only exist in captivity since tigers and lions don’t naturally come across each other in the wild.
Beefalo
The beefalo sounds like something on a menu at your favorite steakhouse. But trust us, it’s a real farm animal. It’s a cross between ordinary cattle and buffalo.
The animal was created to experiment with beef production. In the US, many wild buffalo have some trace amounts of common cattle genetics.
Cama
Here’s an animal with a face that only a mother could love. Camels aren’t known for their looks, and neither are llamas. But this is what happens when both of them have a child together.
The cama was bred to try and get an animal with the strength of a camel to be a good pack animal. But to have the temperament of a llama.
Zebroid
Here’s a magical-looking animal that could be out of a fantasy movie. The father of this animal is a male zebra and any female equine (mule, horse, etc.). This can’t happen naturally and usually only occurs with human intervention.
Zebroids are usually the offspring of mules. Unlike the other animals, we’re not sure why they are created, but maybe it’s for their looks.
Wholphin
Here’s a strange-looking aquatic creature that could come straight out of a sci-fi thriller. It’s what you get out of a relationship between a bottle-nosed dolphin and a false killer whale. There are two examples of wholphins in captivity.
Although a sporadic occurrence in the wild, there are legends about fishers who spotted them. In the legends, they call them the “great grey beast.”
Grolar Bear
Bears are our next species responsible for a new hybrid. Polar bear territory and Grizzly territory can overlap when either wander a little from their habitat. This means that there are examples of interspecies offspring.
The offspring of these two bear species are called grolar bears. They are typically quite big, almost being as tall as a normal polar bear. Their coat is normally a mixture of brown and white.
Mule
Mules are perhaps the most ordinary or iconic hybrid animals. So much so that a lot of people don’t actually know that they are hybrids. For anyone unaware, mules are the offspring of horses and donkeys.
Mules have been used for many years and are said to be great beasts of burden. They can carry heavy loads and aren’t as temperamental as donkeys.
Dzo
Dzos are widely used in Tibet and other surrounding countries. It is specifically a male hybrid of common cattle and the yak. There’s also an English word for the animal called the yacow - a mixture of yak and cow.
They are often praised as being larger and stronger than their forebears. Dzomos are the female hybrid and are completely fertile, while Dzos are sterile.
Wolfdog
One of the most naturally occurring hybrids in the world, wolfdogs are pretty self-explanatory. They are the offspring of a wolf and a dog. Canines are one of the best examples of hybrids, as many breeds of the animal exist today.
Wolfdogs are normally the byproduct of stray dogs coming into contact with wolves. According to a study, there are more than 300,000 wolfdogs in the United States.
Leopon
Leopons are seldom found in the wild but can theoretically happen since leopards and lions have a lot of intersecting territories. They are normally the offspring of male leopards and female lions.
A few are alive and in captivity, but the males are normally sterile, which stunts their potential population growth.
Jaglion
Perhaps one of the most beautiful hybrid species on this list, Jaglions sport the deep spots of a jaguar with the golden hue of a lion. Jaglions are highly sought after in the scientific field because they are so rare.
One lioness gave birth to two jaglion cubs that researchers are aware of. It’s one of the only births on record.
Geep
Geeps are particularly cute. They inherit a lot from their parents and end up having the fluffy coat of sheep. They are what you get when a goat and a sheep have offspring.
Unfortunately, goats and sheep are quite different genetically, which means that more often than not, pregnancies aren’t brought to term. But the few that do make it are quite the medical curiosity.
Savannah Cat
Cats can already feel less domesticated than other house pets. But what happens if they breed with a wild cat? Well, the result is definitely cute. But there’s more to it as well.
The resulting animal is often called a savannah cat. Savannah cats can be twice the size of house cats and are often highly sought after for their loyalty and intelligence.
Green Sea Slug
We saved the strangest and most shocking hybrid for last. What can only be explained as a scientific curiosity is the green sea slug. It’s a hybrid of a sea slug and algae.
The way this works is when a sea slug eats algae. The algae are mixed with its DNA, and we get a strange slug-plant hybrid capable of photosynthesis and foraging for food too!