Animal Hybrids That You Possibly Didn’t Know Existed

There have been countless animal experiments performed in various parts of the world, which is the reason why we have many hybrids. This, along with our advanced technology, has helped humans create offspring from two different species with closely constructed DNA. Such technology has made the possibilities endless. Strange hybrids don’t exist in nature and have needed technology to be produced while several others haven’t required human interference to be created. One of the most famous is the liger, which is a mixture of a lion and a tiger. However, there are so many more that you likely didn’t know existed. Let’s take a look.

Liger

When a male lion and a female tiger get together, they make a liger. From this unusual mixture, these animals can grow to be bigger than both their parents. This makes the liger the largest feline on Earth.

Cama

You might be wondering what a cama is. Well, it’s the offspring from a one-humped camel hybrid and a llama. The first hybrid camel was bred at Dubai’s Reproduction Center and was performed through artificial insemination.

Zonkey

A zonkey is one of the rarest hybrids. When it comes to genetics, zebras and donkeys have much in common. This cross is known for being an intriguing mixture, but the hybrid does come with a few drawbacks, including dwarfism.

Grolar Bear

When looking at this animal’s coloring, it’s easy to see that it’s a hybrid between a grizzly and a polar bear. These hybrids are fairly rare considering these two groups typically dislike each other. Nonetheless, these hybrids can be found in captivity and the wild.

Zorse

A zebroid is often categorized as a zorse and is a mixture between a zebra and a horse. Unlike zonkeys, horses have a separate chromosome number to zebras, making them more genetically distant from zebras than donkeys are.

Savannah Cat

A Savannah cat is created when an African wild cat and a domestic cat mate. These hybrids are fascinating characters and gained popularity in the 1990s. However, these animals only became a recognized cat breed in the new millennium.

Wholphin

A wholphin is part false killer whale and part dolphin. Although the name suggests otherwise, a false killer whale is only a type of dolphin. There has only been one living wholphin in the world, which makes it incredibly unique.

Beefalo

Explorers inadvertently mixed cattle and bison when introducing livestock to the New World in the 18^th century. From here, this breed was crossbred more purposefully, but some of these animals escaped and now wild beefalo herds can be seen along the Grand Canyon.

Tigon

Although the offspring from the same animals as a Liger, a Tigon is formed when the female lion and male tiger mate. These breeds have a different appearance to Ligers and don’t experience dwarfism.

Wolfdog

These hybrids resemble the appearance of a wolf and a dog. Unlike domestic dogs, Wolfdogs are notorious for being more unpredictable and dangerous. That’s why these hybrids are prohibited in some jurisdictions.

Jaglion

Numerous large cat hybrids are present on the market. One of these breeds is a Jaglion, which is a hybrid between a jaguar and a lioness. In some instances, these breeds can appear to look more like a leopard than a lion or a jaguar.

Narluga

Narlugas, unlike other hybrids, were created and can survive in the wild. It’s believed that this breed was caused by beluga and narwhal whales sharing the same habitat. This shared environment is linked to climate change while they have a similar appearance to a beluga whale.

Mule Bird

When a goldfinch and a canary meet, you get a mule bird. These hybrids were first bred as house birds, but they are now known as British finches. They were killed or captured in the UK, which led to the government making these actions unlawful in 1981.

Blood Parrot Cichlid

This fish is a hybrid between a Midis fish and a cichlid. The final product of this combination is amusing, but these animals have a few genetic flaws. One of these flaws is that their mouth is unable to shut.

Mulard

This hybrid’s name is derived from the words ‘mule’ and ‘mallard,’ which makes sense because these animals are a cross between Muscovy and Pekin ducks. Mulards were bred because they are hardier and calmer while producing stronger foie gras.

Coydog

A coydog is a cross between a coyote and a dog. These hybrids were born in pre-Columbian Mexico for centuries, but are now bred in captivity. Coydogs are known for being more mischievous while wolfdogs are known for being more dependable.

Dzo

Cattle and yaks are raised together in Mongolia and Tibet to produce more demanding livestock. The animal created from this is the dzo, which is known as yattle in many English-speaking nations. These animals are more active regarding milk and meat production.

Mangalica

Although this breed isn’t a true hybrid, the Mangalica is a strange animal that resembles a cross between a goat and a sheep. This creature is a Hungarian pig that was specifically produced to manufacture lard but has become famous for its sausages as well.

Bernedoodle

The ‘doodle’ craze has been recently sweeping the dog breeding scene. Many different variations exist while this Bernedoodle is a cross between a Bernese mountain dog and a poodle. This breed is known to enjoy running and swimming.

Iron Age Pig

The Iron Age Pig hybrid is created when a wild boar and a domestic pig get together. These creatures were initially bred to resemble something found from Iron Age cave wall paintings. Several of these wild pigs have landed up in various parts of the US.

Geep

The geep, which is also called a shoat, is created when a goat and a sheep are combined. The result of this mixture is an incredibly adorable creature. However, this hybrid is rare to come across because they are primarily stillborn.

Coywolf

Coyotes and wolves only biologically diverged approximately 300,000 years ago. This hybrid is relatively new in the grand scheme of things. These creatures can reproduce with ease and create a coywolf, which has identical traits to both coyotes and wolves.

Hinny

When the female donkey and male horse are combined, a Hinny is formed. If you thought this hybrid was a mule, you would be mistaken. However, we can understand your confusion. The difference is that a mule comes from a female horse and a male donkey.

Leopon

A cross between a male leopard and lioness results in a hybrid breed called the Leopon. The head resembles a lioness while the rest of the body with its coloring takes the appearance of the male leopard.

Zubron

This hybrid is the offspring of a European bison hybrid and a cow. It was produced to take the place of cattle found in Europe. However, this project failed miserably while only a few herds survived and now remain in Poland’s Bialowieski National Park.

Toyger

Combining a domestic shorthair tabby with a Bengal cat gives you the Toyger hybrid. This creature was first raised in the US to try to increase concern for the survival of the tiger species in the 1980s.

Litigon

This Litigon is known as the polar opposite of the liger. Created by crossing a male tiger with a lioness, this Litigon hybrid boasts an appearance similar to a lioness with the coloring of a tiger.

Green Sea Slug

The sea slug’s DNA features the genetic material matching algae on which this organism feeds. From here, this creature can mutate into an animal-plant hybrid capable of producing and consuming food, which is certainly a handy capability.

Zony

The Zony certainly resembles the horse, which only makes sense when you learn about this hybrid’s kin. This animal is the product of the cross between a zebra stallion and a pony mare. From this mixture, you’re left with one adorable creature.

Pumapard

You get a pumapard when you cross a female leopard with a male puma. From this combination, dwarfism is a typically congenital disability. In many instances, this pumapard doesn’t grow to be as large as a leopard or a puma.

Huarizo

According to the University of Minnesota’s new genetic analysis, it’s found that the natural mechanism isn’t entirely infertile. The alpaca and huarizo are related, falling under the huarache (a species of gazelle sheep/mountain sheep) and when combined, create the Huarizo.

Polecat-Mink

This hybrid is a mixture between a European mink and a European polecat and is called the Polecat-Mink. This interbreeding is highly difficult to breed, but these hybrids have occurred from the decrease in the European mink population.

Polecat-Ferret

The hybrid polecat-ferret is a mixture between a domestic animal ferret and a wild European polecat. This Polecat-Ferret is easily distinguished between its white neckband, white hair mixed in its fur, and white feet. It offers a rather interesting appearance to its parents.

Pine Marten

Unlike the Polecat, the Pine Marten’s ears are more pronounced and longer. It has a dark brown frame, reddish-brown head, and a pale-yellow throat and belly. It’s also known to resemble a badger’s mask with white markings on its forehead.

Gamebird

The crossbreeding of game bird species, like domestic poultry and ducks, results in gamebird hybrids. These hybrid animals are extremely common in the wild and aren’t produced intentionally or deliberately. Their appearance is different from its ancestors while including features from each animal.

Humanzee

The humanzee is a fictional combination between a man and a chimpanzee. Serious experiments have been performed to bring this fictional hybrid to reality, but these efforts have been unsuccessful. Nonetheless, this hybrid is featured in many books and movies, and who knows what the future may or may not bring.

Gajasimha

Animal hybrids don’t only exist in our world today. Many legends exist describing mythological ones. The Gajasimha is an Indian legendary beast with the body of a lion and the head of an elephant. These sculptures can be found in South Indian and Southeast Asian temples.

Buraq

A Buraq is a legendary beast commonly used in Islamic literature and is a horse-like creature featuring a human face and a peacock tail. This creature is notorious in Islamic literature for transporting prophets to Heaven.

Hippalectryon

Heading back to the Greek pantheon, the Hippalectryon is a hybrid between a horse and a rooster. According to Aristophanes, this creature is ‘so ugly that it invited much ridicule from people coming across this hybrid, which sent any bad away from life.’

Khepri

Appearing as a character from a comic book, the Khepri is based on Egyptian mythology and is depicted as a humanoid man with a beetle head. Other representations also show this creature with goat legs, but this isn’t very common.