5 Common Animal Hybrids

Animal hybrids, or crossbreeds of two very similar species, are strange and rare, but possible. Most of these hybrids are done by humans. However there are times when animals that are closely related mate and result with a natural biological hybrid. These offspring share traits found in both parents and even more.

Here are some strange, but unique half breeds in the animal kingdom.

Ligers

Mix a lion and a tiger together and you end up with the biggest big cat around. Ligers are the result of a female tiger and a male lion mating, usually in domestic settings since tigers and lions would never normally cross paths in the wild. Ligers can grow to about 10 feet in length and reach a weight of 700 pounds. Other big cat mixes include leopons (which is a leopard and lion mix) and jaguleps (jaguar and leopard mix).

Zebroids

This is a mix between an equine, commonly a donkey or horse, and a zebra. These consist of zonies, zonkeys, zorses and other combinations. This crossbreeding is an example of how animals with different chromosome numbers can still produce offspring. For example, horses come in 64 chromosomes while zebras only have around 32 and 44, which depends on species.

Grolar Bears

When polar bears mate with grizzly bears, the grolar bear is the result. One of the very few hybrids that actually happen in the wild, these bears do roam the northern hemisphere. Researchers say that one of the reasons why grolar bears exist is because of global warming. Polar bears end up moving a little to the south while grizzlies move up. Since both bears share a lot of features, grolar bears end up looking like polar bears with dirty fur.

Wholphins

Another mix that is said to happen naturally, wholphinsare the offspring of Atlantic bottlenose dolphin and false killer whales. Currently, there are two specimens alive and are kept in captivity at the Sea Life Park in Hawaii. Their shape, color, and size meet halfway between a dolphin and a whale. Ever the number of their teeth is mixed, with an average of 66pieces.

Savannah Cats

These are the result of mixing domesticated cats and wild, medium sized, large eared African cat. They’re much bigger than the common house cat, but are actually very sociable and loyal. The International Cat Association has even declared these cats as a new breed in 2001. Savannah cats act more like dogs than cats and are often placed in leashes and taken on walks with their owners. They can even be trained tricks like fetch.