A hybrid is an offspring created by two animals of different varieties, breeds, or species. These mixed genes can create striking creatures with unusual traits. Still, many hybrid crosses result in sterile offspring or stillbirths.
Here are five of the most awesome hybrid animals, each of whom has occurred naturally in the wild during at least some part of history.
1. Liger: Male Lion & Female Tiger
Ligers are a cross between a male lion and a female tiger with tan-colored fur and light-striped patches that fade away in different areas. These mighty felines are the largest cats alive today and can weigh up to 1,212 pounds. Still, as their parents’ habitats do not overlap, they are only seen in captivity.
But this wasn’t always the case; once upon a time, the Asiatic lion would have inhabited far more extensive areas of Asia than it does today. While rare, it likely shared some territory with the tiger, and evidence supports that these two species interbred. A color plate dating back to 1798 pictures a liger, while a pair of liger cubs born in 1837 were displayed for King William IV.
If you swap the genders and cross a male tiger with a female lion, you get a tigon. Again, they only exist in captivity, and most are born sterile. But their appearance is quite majestic with a large mane and spotted head, plus stripy fur, and a white underbelly. In general, the tigon is much smaller than the liger.
2. Pizzly: Polar Bear & Grizzly Bear
Pizzly bears – also called Grolar bears – are created by interbreeding polar and grizzly bears. Their offspring is usually smaller than a polar bear but larger than a grizzly. They possess a broad face, long neck, and a hump on the shoulders. Their length is around 120 inches, and the maximum weight can reach 1,500 lbs.
Although rare, these animals do mate in the wild as well as in captivity, and the population of pizzly bears is growing due to climate change. As global warming thins the Arctic Ice, polar bears are forced to travel further south to find food, and it is here that they encounter grizzlies.
Because the species only diverged around 500,000 years ago, it is still possible for them to mate and produce fertile offspring. These babies behave more like polar bears than grizzlies and are far better adapted for swimming than the latter.
The best way to recognize a pizzly is to look at the shade of its coat; these giant bears combine the polar bear’s white coat with a brown hue interwoven from the grizzly.
3. Green Sea Slug: Slug & Green Algae
Perhaps the most unusual hybrid on this list is the green sea slug, created by a crossover of plant and animal. It may sound strange, but the sea slug feeds on algae and incorporates some genetic material into its own DNA.
This allows the sea slug to eat food like an animal or convert sunlight into energy through photosynthesis. This plant-like processing ability gives the slug a bright green hue, which is why scientists sometimes call them emerald green Elysia. The green tone comes from chloroplasts in the skin, which help the slug hide from predators.
4. Zebroid: Zebra & Other Equine
If you think of a zebra hybrid, you probably picture an image of a zebra crossed with a horse. But, strictly speaking, the term “zebroid” refers to a zebra crossed with any equine family member. For example, the product of a zebra and a domestic horse breed is called a zorse.
In most cases, the male is a zebra stallion who mates with a female horse, donkey, pony, or other equine species. The offspring usually takes on the traits of the additional equine while maintaining the zebra stripes. For example, a zorse is more like a horse and takes on its mother’s characteristics in terms of size, color, and temperament.
Wild zorses are scarce because wild horses are uncommon. The more likely animal is a semi-wild zorse created by a wild zebra mating with a domestic horse. Meanwhile, Zonkeys are sometimes found naturally in areas where zebras roam close to donkeys, such as South Africa.
5. Coywolf: Coyote & Wolf
Coywolves are coyote-wolf hybrids with a little bit of dog mixed in. Found in North America, there are millions of these canines now living in the wild; their numbers exceed some species of purebred wolves. The average coywolf has DNA dominated by the coyote; still, a quarter of their genetic material comes from the wolf, while a tenth is dog.
Scientists can rarely watch a new species evolve before their eyes, but that’s precisely what happened with the coywolf, which combines the best elements of several species. They have strong muscles, large jaws, and faster legs than the coyote; in addition, their genetic combination means they are successful hunters in the woods (a wolf preference) and on open terrain (a coyote preference).
While dog DNA only represents 10% of this creature’s makeup, it is enough to increase their tolerance of people and noises, meaning they can live in suburban areas.
How Do Hybrids Help Evolution?
The coywolf is a solid example of healthy evolution via hybrid. “Speciation” is the term used to describe a hybrid animal that adapts the best traits of two or more species to survive in a changing environment.
The most common reason animals interbreed is because they are isolated from their own species and use it as a last resort. Another reason is that an animal may see traits in a different species that they would like to give to their offspring.
Still, interbreeding is something that’s best left to nature as many crossbreeding attempts are unsuccessful and result in stillbirth or sterility.
