Hybrid animal DNA is a combination of the DNA from two different species.
When you crossbreed two animals with similar genetics, you create a hybrid animal. Hybrids exist mostly in captivity, and they are usually the result of human effort and intervention. Often, hybrid animals are infertile, meaning that they cannot reproduce.
Zebroid
A zebroid is a cross between a zebra and any other equine (horse-like) animal. Zebroid breeding began in the 19th century. Today, zebroids are used for practical purposes such as riding. Zebroid is an all-encompassing term for specific hybrids such as zebrule (zebra and mule), zorse (zebra and horse) and zony (zebra and pony). Zebroids are more temperamental than zebras and can be difficult to handle.
Felines
Both ligers and tigons are hybrid lions and tigers. When the hybrid's sire is a lion, its offspring, the liger, is the world's largest cat. When the sire is a tiger, the offspring, called a tigon, often is smaller than both parent species. Male ligers/tigons tend to be infertile, while the females tend to be fertile. Therefore, for a female tiger/ligon to breed it must mate with a lion or tiger creating ti-ligers/ti-tigons/li-tigons/li-ligers.
The leopon comes from mating a male leopard with a female lion. The first documented leopon was bred in India in 1910. The savannah comes from breeding a serval (African wild cat) with a domestic cat (usually a Bengal, Oriental Shorthair, Egyptian Mau, or Serengeti). The offspring are large, domestic, exotic-looking cats.
Beefalo
The beefalo is a cross between a cow and a buffalo. Beefalo produce red meat that is lower in fat and cholesterol than beef. According to beefalo breeder Mark Merril, "[Beefalo] has a richer flavor and it's milder and sweeter than beef, and more juicy."
Cama
A cama is a hybrid of camel and llama. As of May 2010, only one cama exists. Due to the size difference between the parent animals, camas must be produced through artificial insemination. Camas have no hump, but have a llama's long fluffy coat and cloven hooves. They usually have camels' ears, tails and desert-ready legs.
Ursid
An ursid is a bear hybrid. The grizzly polar, or grolar bear, is one of the few hybrids that occur in captivity and in the wild. According to Amazing Facts, "In 2006, the occurrence of this hybrid in nature was confirmed by testing the DNA of a strange looking bear that had been shot on Banks Island in the Canadian arctic."
Wolphin
A wolphin is the very rare hybrid between a bottlenose dolphin and a false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens). The Sea Life Park in Hawaii has the only two in existence. The wolphin's features are an even blend of the two parent species. The wolphin shows mixed heritage, even in its teeth. A bottlenose dolphin has 88 teeth, false killer whales have 44 teeth and the wolphin has 66 teeth.
Tags: bottlenose dolphin, comes from, cross between, false killer, ligers tigons