The most famous animal hybrids in the world
Brave naturalist researchers have worked on birds, domestic pets, and even the inhabitants of the wild. Their creations are the fruit of bizarre passions of different types. What marvelous animals are on this list?
Famous hybrid birds
Back at the end of the 19th century, hunters who practiced the use of birds of prey began to think about breeding them in captivity. Shortly before World War II, the Master of the Order of German Falconers, Reinz Waller, received offspring from peregrine falcons, and his followers received artificially bred saker falcons. But what if there is not a pair for every creature? In the 1970s, Irish ornithologists Stevens and Morris crossed the peregrine falcon and saker falcon to create the first hybrid bird. Subsequent experiments brought even more interesting results.
Perlin
The feathered creature, born from the union of a peregrine falcon and a merlin, is famous for its hunting abilities. This falcon, very popular among English aristocrats, helps in catching small birds in open spaces. Its main prey are partridges, larks and pigeons. The name “perlin” is derived from the addition of the first two syllables of the parent breeds: peregrine (peregrine falcon) and merlin (merlin).
Eagle hybrid
The recent experiment of St. Petersburg falconer Sergei Shchegolkov was followed by ornithologists all over the planet. By crossing an imperial eagle and a golden eagle, he got an elegant bird of prey. The tail, as long as that of a golden eagle, helps to maneuver well, and its wide span guarantees high speed. The hybrid has been tested in winter hunting and is now used for catching hares.
A cross between a bullfinch and a canary
In 1961, an article appeared in the German magazine Deutsche Gefliigel Zeitung describing a captive-bred canary chick and a female bullfinch. The lower half of the cub's body was rusty red, and the wings and tail were brown. The foreign experience was repeated only once. As scientist Boris Manteuffel has proven, crossing tropical birds and forest dwellers is not an easy matter.
Banduk
From Arabic, the name of the small colorful bird, which appeared from the goldfinch and canary, is translated as “rogue.” Banduks can easily become a decoration for any home. From the bright canary they inherit a greenish back and yellow breast, and from the goldfinch - an orange mask around the beak. Unfortunately, it is not yet possible to obtain offspring from such hybrids.
Breeding birds is a troublesome and thankless task. It is much more interesting to create new, unusual pets.
Pets obtained by crossing
By selecting two animals with similar genes, scientists try to produce offspring with better qualities than their parents. Most often, the crossing turns out to be fruitless, but sometimes very nice pets are born.
Wolfdog
In 1998, a study by the American Veterinary Association showed that there are more than 300 thousand wolfdogs living in the United States. The combination of two related species is very productive. This is how Alaskan Malamutes and Siberian Huskies arose. Even German Shepherds have both wolves and dogs in their ancestry. The only disadvantage of such genetic intervention is the unpredictable behavioral and physical characteristics of the toothy cub.
Khaynak
In appearance, livestock born from the inbreeding of a domestic cow and a yak looks like a bull with a ponytail. Its weight exceeds three centners, and the amount of milk the most milking cow in the village can envy. Khainak is very popular in agriculture in Mongolia, Tibet and Nepal. Males have good endurance and are used for transporting goods, and females produce 9 more calves in their lives than the usual heifer.
Camelama
On January 14, 1998, the world learned about a new inhabitant of the Asian barnyard - the camel. Scientists have done their best by artificially inseminating animals that differ not only in size, but also in habitat. The cub of the inhabitants of South America and Asia has a long, camel-like tail and short ears. His strong legs can withstand the longest trip through the desert. The camel hybrid turned out to be very hardy
Savannah
In 2001, the International Cat Association added a new registered breed to its list. Savannah, which appeared as a result of crossing the African serval and the common murka, is very loyal and affectionate. This animal, distinguished by its huge ears, can be led on a leash and even trained. But the most daring and craziest experiments were carried out on undomesticated fauna.
Wild animal hybrids
At the beginning of the 19th century, menagerie owners, dreaming of attracting the public, began work on creating strange creatures. In 1837, the first feline hybrid known to history was presented to Queen Victoria in India.
Liger
The animals, born from a tiger mother and a lion father, are considered the largest cats in the world. The height of the Hercules liger, which lives in Miami, is about 3 meters. Although these animals rarely give birth, in 2004, two little liger cubs were born at the Novosibirsk Zoo. By the way, tigers, which are the result of crossing a lioness and a tiger, on the contrary, are distinguished by their miniature size.
Peasley
In 2006, Jim Martell, hunting in the Canadian Arctic, shot and killed a wondrous beast. Identification of the corpse, carried out in a British Columbia laboratory, confirmed that this grizzly and polar bear cub was born without human intervention. Hybrid cubs have been born before - for example, in the zoo in Halle, Germany back in 1874.
killer bee
The experiment of crossing European bees with species from Africa is known for its disastrous results. 26 families born in the laboratory of the University of Rio Clara broke free and terrorized the entire area for many years. 150 people and hundreds of animals became victims of bites. Even flamethrowers could not save us from monstrous hybrids. It is difficult to list all the creations created by an inquisitive mind and painstaking work. But both young and old know about this creature.
The most famous hybrid animal
A cross between a mare and a donkey, called a “mule,” was used back in the Middle Ages. The mule is the most famous hybrid animal. Mules accompanied the conquistadors in the conquest of America and transported cannons during the Civil War. And now these pack cattle, which inherited speed from their mother and endurance from their father, are very popular on the farm. Although mules do not bear offspring, they can work for up to 40 years.
