A hybrid animal is the result of reproduction between two different species . It occurs when two natural resources  by man. In fact, in these areas, not only species are closely related, making genetic exchange possible.

Most of the time the hybrids receive a combination joining the father’s name plus the mother‘s name . For example, a liger is the result of a male lion and a female tigress. But a tigon is spawned by a male tiger and a female lioness. Both will be different in terms of features.

Now, there are several reasons why a hybrid can occur:

• In wildlife : it occurs when compatible natural resources  by man. In fact, in these areas, not only species share the same habitat. We tell you about the types of habitat that exist , here.
• Captive or Man-Made : It is common for these hybridizations to occur deliberately by man to create fantastic new animals.
• Due to climate change : hybridizations are currently occurring in response to climate change. Due to changes in temperature, natural resources  by man. In fact, in these areas, not only species have changed their breeding season to coincide with other species, or there may also be overlap due to the movement of species to other places where they did not exist before.

Hybrid animals can be a combination of the best characteristics of each species. For example, they may produce more milk, be bigger, or have better fur.

But biology has certain rules, and that is why most hybrid animals are usually sterile , since the chromosomes remain unpaired and there can be no meiosis. It is also worth mentioning that cases of hybrids in animals are very rare and are not frequent.

To better understand which animals can reproduce and hybridize, we present 10 examples of animal mixtures.

As we mentioned initially, a tigon is the cross of a male tiger and a female lioness ( Panthera tigris × Panthera leo ). This cross is carried out artificially in captivity, since it is not possible naturally because both animals do not live in the same space.

Physically it looks like a lion, but with the stripes of a tiger and usually weighs approximately 180 kg. Despite the fact that they inherit growth inhibitory genes from the female lioness , they never develop dwarfism.

The liger is a cross between a male lion and a tigress.(Panthera leo × Panthera tigris) , but unlike the tigon, they are much larger in size, measuring up to 4 meters in length, albeit with more diffuse stripes than the tigon .

Its legs are very short and among the consequences is the inability to support its own weight, and the puppies are born sterile . The ligers are commonly used in shows such as circuses, as it is the largest feline that exists.

In captivity, it had been possible to cross the polar bear and the brown bear.(Ursus arctos × Ursus maritimus) , but the event that would come would reveal one of the causes of this mechanism. A very strange looking bear was discovered, which turned out to be a combination of a brown bear father and a polar bear mother .

It occurred in the wild as a result of climate change pushing polar bears further south, meeting up with the brown bear. This combination was also made in captivity .

These hybrids are a mix between the two: smaller in size than the polar bear but larger than the brown one, white fur and brown extremities, and a snout about the average size between the two bears.

This hybrid animal is a cross between a female cow and a male yak.(B. grunniens × B. primigenius taurus) , resulting in a very strong super animal capable of producing much more milk than the parents . It is used in Mongolia as a pack animal for agricultural activity. Let’s remember that the cow and the yak are of the same genus Bos , hence the compatibility.

The following of the examples of hybrid animals is neither more nor less than a combination between a male narwhal and a female beluga(Delphinapterus D. leucas × Monodon M. monoceros) . Both are toothed marine cetaceans , meaning they have teeth and are active predators.

The narwhal differs from the beluga by having a long tusk that looks like a horn, while the beluga lacks it and is completely white. A narluga skull was found in Greenland, and it was peculiar in that it did not fully correspond to the characteristics of either the beluga or the narwhal, but rather was somewhere in between .

This mix of animals is the result of a cross between a female zebra and a donkey. male (Equus zebra × Equus asinus) . It should be noted that it is possible because both are equines. These hybrid animals can occur in the wild, since both share the same space. The result will always be a sterile animal .

If you were wondering what was the first hybrid animal created by man , it is the kunga. It was created in the Bronze Age in ancient Mesopotamia, by crossing a domesticated donkey and a Syrian wild ass.(E. hemionus hemippus × E. africanus asinus) . They were used in important rituals such as ceremonies or wars, and they even arrived before horses.

Continuing with the big cats, the next of the hybrid animals that we have is the result of a cross between a male jaguar and a female lion. (Panthera onca × Panthera leo) . Physically it is yellow in color but it has jaguar spots, which gives it a spectacular physique.

Although we are almost at the end of this article, we still have other hybrid animals to mention. In this case we focus on the cross between a male leopard and a female lioness , which gives rise to the leopon. This mixture of animals is very curious because they have the large head of a lion, males retaining their manes, and a slender body of a leopard.

The cross between a bottlenose dolphin and a black orca ( Tursiops truncatus × Pseudorca crassidens ), resulted in the balfin. This mix of animals can occur in the wild as well as in captivity. It should be noted that these hybrid animals are indeed fertile .

Other examples of animal mixtures are the following that we present to you.

• coywolf(Canis latrans x Canis lupus) : coyote-wolf mix.
• Cama ( Camelus dromedarius × Lama glama) – Cross between camel and llama.
•  Savannah cat (Felis silvestris catus) x (Leptailurus serval) : domestic cat and serval.
• tiger(Panthera tigris x Panthera onca) : male Siberian tiger and female jaguar.
• Zubrón ( Bos taurus × Bison bonasus) : cow and European bison.