You might have probably heard about the most common animal hybrid between a female horse and a male donkey, called a mule, but did you know there are more of these mixed animals? Though these kind of species and breeds crossing does not usually appear in nature, with the intervention of humans, we now have zonkeys, ligers, and Savannah cats. These offspring are typically infertile, with some exceptions such as the coywolf (not to be confused with a wolf that is coy), that is a mix of a coyote and a wolf and can further reproduce.
1). Wholphin (Male False Killer Whale + Female Bottlenose Dolphin)
A wholphin is an extremely rare cetacean hybrid born from a mating of a female common bottlenose dolphin with a male false killer whale. The name implies a hybrid of whale and dolphin. Wholphins are born in captivity and are also reported in the wild. The first recorded wholphin was born in a Tokyo SeaWorld in 1981; that died after 200 days of birth. The first wholphin in the United States and the first one to survive was Kekaimalu, born at Sea Life Park in Hawaii on May 15, 1985. As of March 2020, Kekaimalu and her third calf, daughter Kawili Kai remain in captivity in Sea Life Park.
2). Beefalo (Buffalo + Cow)
Also called “cattalo,” they’ve been around since 1800, and are heartier than cattle and do less ecological damage when grazing. Unfortunately, as a result of the breeding, it’s believed that only four wild buffalo herds exist that aren’t contaminated by cow genes. Beefalo, are 3/8 Bison and 5/8 Bovine, a fertile hybrid offspring of domestic cattle, usually a male in managed breeding programs, and the American bison, usually a female in managed breeding programs. The breed was created to combine the characteristics of both animals for beef production. Beefalo are primarily cattle in genetics and appearance, with the breed association defining a full Beefalo as one with three-eighths (37.5%) bison genetics, while animals with higher percentages of bison genetics are called “bison hybrids”.
3). Leopon (Male Leopard + Female Lion)
These beautiful animals have been only produced in captivity. The first documented leopon was bred at Kolhapur, India, in 1859. It was a cross between a large leopard and a lioness. Two cubs were born, one of which died aged 2.5 months. It was spotted like a leopard, but the spots on its sides were smaller and closer set than those of an Indian leopard and were brown and indistinct, like the fading spots of a juvenile lion. The spots on the head, spine, belly and legs were black and distinct. The tail was spotted on the topside and striped underneath and had a blackish tip with longer hairs. The underside was dirty white, the ears were fawn and had a broad black bar, but did not have the white spot found in leopards.
4). Żubroń (Cow + European Bison)
Stronger and more resistant to disease, they were initially thought to be a possible replacement for cattle. Now, only a small herd exists in Bialowieski National Park in Poland. After World War I, various scientists considered żubroń a possible replacement for domestic cattle. Żubroń turned out to be more durable and less susceptible to disease. In addition, the animal could be bred on marginal grazing land with no farm infrastructure and with minimal husbandry in huge state agricultural farms.
5). Geep (Goat + Sheep)
A sheep–goat hybrid (called a geep in popular media or sometimes a shoat) is the offspring of a sheep and a goat. The offspring of a sheep-goat pairing is generally stillborn. Despite widespread shared pasturing of goats and sheep, hybrids are very rare, indicating the genetic distance between the two species.
6). Jaglion (Male Jaguar + Female Lion)
A rare combination. These photos are of Jahzara and Tsunami, born at Ontario, Canada’s, Bear Creek Wildlife Sanctuary. A Panthera hybrid is a crossbreed between any of four species—tiger, lion, jaguar and leopard—in captivity. Most hybrids would not be perpetuated in the wild as males are usually infertile.
In theory, lions and tigers can be matched in the wild and give offspring, but in reality, there may be no natural born tigon or liger in the world, because they are separated by behavioural differences and geographic differences.
7). Zonkey (Zebra + Donkey)
A zebroid is the offspring of any cross between a zebra and any other equine to create a hybrid. In most cases, the sire is a zebra stallion. Zebroids are preferred over zebras for practical uses, such as riding, because the zebra has a different body shape from a horse or donkey, and consequently it is difficult to find tack to fit a zebra. However, a zebroid is usually more inclined to be temperamental than a purebred horse and can be difficult to handle. Zebras, being wild animals, and not domesticated like horses and donkeys, pass on their wild animal traits to their offspring. Zebras, while not usually very large, are extremely strong and aggressive. Similarly, zorses have a strong temperament and can be aggressive.
8). Tigon (Male Tiger + Female Lion)
A tigon or tiglon is the hybrid offspring of a male tiger and a female lion. tigons were long thought to be sterile; in 1943, however, a 15-year-old hybrid between a lion and an “Island” tiger was successfully mated with a lion at the Munich Hellabrunn Zoo. The female cub, although of delicate health, was raised to adulthood. At the Alipore Zoo in India, a tigoness named Rudhrani, born in 1971, was successfully mated to a male Asiatic lion named Secularabrata. The rare, second generation hybrid was called a litigon. Rudhrani produced seven litigons in her lifetime. Some of these reached impressive sizes.
9). Liger ( Male Lion + Female Tiger)
Although there are rumours of wild Ligers, they exist only in captivity where they are deliberately bred. They grow to be very large very quickly, and are the biggest cats in the world. Hercules, the largest non-obese liger, is the largest living cat on Earth, weighing over 410 kg (904 lb).
10). Grolar Bear (Polar Bear + Brown Bear)
Also called “pizzly bears,” most grolar bears live in zoos, although there have been a few confirmed sightings in the wild. In 2006, the occurrence of this hybrid in nature was confirmed by testing the DNA of a unique-looking bear that had been shot. The number of confirmed hybrids has since risen to eight, all of them descending from the same female polar bear.
