List of genetic hybrids

This is an list of genetic hybrids which is limited to well documented cases of animals of differing species able to create hybrid offspring which may or may not be infertile.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Hybrids should not be confused with genetic chimeras, such as that between sheep and goat known as the geep. Wider interspecific hybrids can be made via in vitro fertilization or somatic hybridization, however the resulting cells are not able to develop into a full organism.

Nomenclature

The naming of hybrid animals depends on the sex and species of the parents. The father giving the first half of his species' name and the mother the second half of hers. (I.e. a pizzly bear has a polar bear father and grizzly bear mother whereas a grolar bear's parents would be reversed.)

Animals

A "zonkey", a zebra/donkey hybrid

Hercules, a "liger", a lion/tiger hybrid

A "jaglion", a jaguar/lion hybrid

A domestic canary/goldfinch hybrid.

Phylum Chordata

Chordate

• Class Actinopterygii
  • Order Acipenseriformes
    • In 2020 hybrids were announced from different families of fish, American paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) and Russian sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii). Accidentally created by Hungarian scientists, they are dubbed "sturddlefish."[1]
• Class Amphibia
  • Order Urodela
    • Family Ambystomatidae
      • Genus Ambystoma
        • In 2007 hybrids of a California tiger salamander and a barred tiger salamander were discovered to be able to survive easier than their parent species.[2]
• Class Reptilia
  • Order Squamata
    • Suborder Anguimorpha
      • Family Varanidae
        • Genus Varanus
          • Subgenus Varanus
            • Hybrid between Varanus panoptes horni and Varanus gouldii flavirufus.[3]
    • Superfamily Lacertoidea
      • Family Teiidae
        • Hybrid between Aspidoscelis exsanguis and Aspidoscelis inornatus.[3]
    • Suborder Iguania
      • Family Iguanidae
        • Hybrid iguana, a single‐cross hybrid resulting from natural interbreeding between male marine iguanas and female land iguanas since the late 2000s.
    • Suborder Serpentes
      • Family Pythonidae
        • Hybrids between the yellow ball python and the jungle carpet python.[3]
        • Hybrids between the yellow ball python and the woma python.[3]
        • Hybrids between the ball python and the Borneo short-tailed python.[3]
        • The hybrid Borneo bat eater, between a Burmese python and reticulated python,[4] can be further hybridized with another reticulated python.[3]
        • Hybrids between Ball python and reticulated python.[3]
        • Hybrids between Columbian boa and yellow anaconda.[3]
        • Genus Python
          • Around 2018, 13 hybrids of Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) and Indian pythons (Python molurus) among 400 invasive Burmese pythons studied in South Florida were found by the United States Geological Survey.[5]
      • Family Boidae
        • Genus Corallus
          • Hybrid between emerald tree boa and Amazon tree boa.[3]
      • Family Colubridae
        • A fertile cross between a king snake and a corn snake. One example is a cross between a California kingsnake and a corn snake called the "jungle corn snake."[6][7]
        • Genus Lampropeltis
          • A fertile cross between a California kingsnake and Pueblan milk snake is called an "imperial Pueblan milk snake."[8][7]
          • A fertile cross between a California kingsnake and whitesided black rat snake (Pantherophis obsoletus).[7][9]
          • L. triangulum
            • A fertile cross between an imperial Pueblan milk snake and Honduran milk snake.[7]
    • Infraorder Gekkota
      • Family Diplodactylidae
        • Hybrid of chahoua gecko and crested gecko.[3]
  • Order Crocodilia
    • Family Crocodylidae
      • Genus Crocodylus
        • Hybridization between the endemic Cuban crocodile (Crocodylus rhombifer) and the widely distributed American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) is causing conservation problems for the former species as a threat to its genetic integrity.[10]
        • Saltwater crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) have mated with Siamese crocodiles (Crocodylus siamensis) in captivity producing offspring which in many cases have grown over 20 feet (6.1 metres) in length. It is likely that wild hybridization occurred historically in parts of southeast Asia.
  • Order Testudines
    • Suborder Cryptodira
      • Superfamily Chelonioidea
        • Family Cheloniidae
          • A hybrid between a hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) and loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta).[3]
      • Superfamily Testudinoidea
        • Family Testudinidae
          • A hybrid between a sulcata tortoise (Centrochelys sulcata) and leopard tortoise (Stigmochelys pardalis).[3]
        • Family Emydidae
          • Subfamily Deirochelyinae
            • Hybrid between red-eared slider and Ouachita map turtle.[3]
            • Genus Trachemys
              • Species T. scripta
                • The hybrid between a red-eared slider and a yellow-bellied slider.[3]
• Class Mammalia
  • Clade Ungulata
    • Order Perissodactyla
      • Suborder Hippomorpha
        • Family Equidae
          • Mule, a cross of female horse and a male donkey.
          • Hinny, a cross between a female donkey and a male horse. Mule and hinny are examples of reciprocal hybrids.
          • Zebroids
            • Zeedonk or zonkey, a zebra/donkey cross.
            • Zorse, a zebra/horse cross
            • Zony or zetland, a zebra/pony cross ("zony" is a generic term; "zetland" is specifically a hybrid of the Shetland pony breed with a zebra)
      • Superfamily Tapiroidea
        • Family Rhinocerotidae
          • Hybrids between black and white rhinoceroses have been recognized.
  • Order Artiodactyla
    • Family Bovidae – Bovid hybrids
      • Subfamily Bovinae
        • Dzo, zo or yakow; a cross between a domestic cow/bull and a yak.
        • Beefalo, a cross of an American bison and a domestic cow. This is a fertile breed; this, along with mitochondrial DNA evidence,[11] has led bison to occasionally be classified in the genus Bos.
        • Zubron, a hybrid between wisent (European bison) and domestic cow.
        • Yakalo, a hybrid between a bison and a yak.
      • Subfamily Caprinae
        • Sheep-goat hybrids, such as the toast of Botswana.
    • Family Camelidae
      • Cama, a cross between a camel and a llama, also an intergeneric hybrid.
    • Infraorder Cetacea
      • Family Delphinidae
        • Wholphin, a fertile but very rare cross between a false killer whale and a bottlenose dolphin.
        • In 2014, DNA analysis showed the clymene dolphin (Stenella clymene) to be a naturally occurring hybrid species descended from the spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris) and the striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba).[12]
      • Family Monodontidae
        • In 2019, a "belwhal" hybrid of a male beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) and a female narwhal (Monodon monoceros) was confirmed by DNA analysis.[13]
  • Order Carnivora
    • Infraorder Arctoidea
      • Family Ursidae
        • Genus Ursus
          • Ursid hybrids, such as the grizzly-polar bear hybrid, occur between black bears, brown bears, and polar bears.
    • Suborder Feliformia
      • Family Felidae (see Felid hybrids); various other wild cat crosses are known involving the lynx, bobcat, leopard, serval, etc.
        • Subfamily Felinae
          • Savannah cats are the hybrid cross between an African serval cat and a domestic cat
          • Bengal cat, a cross between the Asian leopard cat and the domestic cat, one of many hybrids between the domestic cat and wild cat species. The domestic cat, African wild cat and European wildcat may be considered variant populations of the same species (Felis silvestris), making such crosses non-hybrids.
          • Serengeti, a hybrid crossbreed of a Bengal and an Oriental Shorthair.
          • Chausie, a hybrid between a jungle cat and domestic cat.
        • Subfamily Pantherinae
          • Genus Panthera
            • Ligers and tigons (crosses between a lion and a tiger) and other Panthera hybrids such as the lijagulep.
            • Species P. tigris
              • A hybrid between a Bengal tiger and a Siberian tiger is an example of an intra-specific hybrid.
    • Family Canidae
      • Fertile canid hybrids occur between coyotes, wolves, dingoes, jackals and domestic dogs.
  • Order Primates
    • Suborder Haplorhini
      • Infraorder Simiiformes
        • Family Hominidae
          • Genus Pongo
            • Hybrid orangutan, a hybrid between a Bornean orangutan and Sumatran orangutan.
  • Order Proboscidea
    • Family Elephantidae
      • At Chester Zoo in the United Kingdom, a cross between an African elephant (male) and an Asian elephant (female). The male calf was named Motty. It died of intestinal infection after twelve days.
• Class Aves
  • Order Strigiformes
    • Family Strigidae
      • Genus Strix
        • Hybrids between spotted owls and barred owls [14]
  • Order Passeriformes
    • The domestic canary (Serinus canaria var. domesticus, family Fringillidae) has hybridized with other perching birds including the blue-black grassquit (Volatinia jacarina, family Thraupidae), the chestnut-capped blackbird (Agelaius ruficapillus, family Icteridae), and the red fody (Foudia madagascariensis, family Ploceidae). A fertile egg was made from the domestic canary and the chestnut-shouldered petronia (Petronia xanthocollis, family Passeridae) but there has been no mention of hatched hybrids.[15]
    • The red-crested cardinal (Paroaria coronata, family Thraupidae) has hybridized between the northern cardinal (Cardinalia cardinalis, family Cardinalidae), shiny cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis, family Icteridae), and chestnut-capped blackbird.[15]
    • The yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella, family Emberizidae) has hybridized with the European greenfinch (Carduelis chloris) and the European goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis), both of the family Fringillidae.
    • The cut-throat (Amadina fasciata, family Estrildidae) has hybridized with the Eurasian linnet (Carduelis cannabina, family Fringillidae) and the orange bishop (Euplectes franciscanus, family Ploceidae).
    • Family Fringillidae
      • Cagebird breeders sometimes breed hybrids between species of finch, such as goldfinch x canary. These birds are known as mules.
  • Gamebird hybrids, hybrids between gamebirds and domestic fowl, including chickens, guineafowl and peafowl, interfamilial hybrids.
  • Order Psittacidae
    • Subfamily Arinae
      • Tribe Arini
        • Numerous macaw hybrids are also known.
  • Order Accipitriformes
    • Family Accipitridae
      • Red kite and black kite: five bred unintentionally at a falconry center in England. (It is reported that the black kite (the male) refused female black kites but mated with two female red kites.)
      • Red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus) and common black hawk (Buteogallus anthracinus): one and possibly two offspring produced naturally in Sonoma County, California, US. [16]
  • Order Anseriformes
    • Family Anatidae
      • The mulard duck, hybrid of the domestic Pekin duck and domesticated Muscovy ducks.
      • Brewer's duck, hybrid of the mallard and gadwall.
      • Genus Anas
        • In Australia, New Zealand and other areas where the Pacific black duck occurs, it is hybridised by the much more aggressive introduced mallard. This is a concern to wildlife authorities throughout the affected area, as it is seen as genetic pollution of the black duck gene pool.
  • Order Galliformes
    • Family Phasianidae
      • Genus Tetrao
        • Western capercaillies are known to hybridise occasionally with black grouse (these hybrids being known by the German name rackelhahn) and the closely related black-billed capercaillie.
• Class Actinopterygii
  • Order Cichliformes
    • Family Cichlidae
      • Blood parrot cichlid, which is probably created by breeding a redhead cichlid and a Midas cichlid (Amphilophus citrinellus) or red devil cichlid (Amphilophus labiatus).
• Class Chondrichthyes
  • Order Carcharhiniformes
    • Family Carcharhinidae
      • Genus Carcharhinus
        • A group of about 50 hybrids between Australian blacktip shark and the larger common blacktip shark was found by Australia's East Coast in 2012. This is the only known case of hybridization in sharks.[17]

Phylum Arthropoda

• Class Insecta
  • Order Hymenoptera
    • Family Apidae
      • Genus Apis
        • Killer bees were created in an attempt to breed tamer and more manageable bees. This was done by crossing a European honey bee and an African bee, but instead the offspring became more aggressive and highly defensive bees that have escaped into the wild.
  • Order Blattodea
    • Family Rhinotermitidae
      • Genus Coptotermes
        • The Asian termite and Formosan termite are an invasive hybrid in Florida.[18]
  • Order Lepidoptera
    • Family Pieridae
      • Genus: Colias
        • Colias eurytheme and C. philodice butterflies have enough genetic compatibility to produce viable hybrid offspring. Hybrid speciation may have produced Heliconius butterflies, but that is disputed.[19]

Plants

• Clade Tracheophytes
  • Clade Angiosperms
    • Clade Monocots
      • Clade Commelinids
        • Order Poales
          • Family Poaceae
            • Subfamily Pooideae
              • Supertribe Triticodae
                • Tribe Triticeae
                  • Triticale, a grain crop, came from a cross of wheat (Triticum) and rye (Secale)
    • Clade Eudicots
      • Clade Rosids
        • Order Sapindales
          • Family Sapindaceae
            • In 1994, a hybrid was made between longan (Dimocarpus longana) and lychee (Litchi chinensis)[20]
• A list of plants that can hybridize under the same genus (Interspecific introgression, allopolyploid origin, and interspecific hybrid origin) can be found here: List of plant hybrids

References

1. July 2020, Stephanie Pappas-Live Science Contributor 20. "Scientists accidentally create 'impossible' hybrid fish". livescience.com. Retrieved 2020-08-05.
2. Live Science Staff (18 September 2007). "Slimy Salamanders Caught Crossbreeding". Live Science. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
3. "Hybrid Reptiles: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful". ReptiFiles. 2016-09-09. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
4. "Borneo bateater". Natural History. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
5. "Genetic Analysis of Florida's Invasive Pythons Reveals A Tangled Family Tree". www.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
6. "Jungle Corn Snakes". Bane Reptiles. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
7. "Hybrids". Southern California Kingsnakes. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
8. "Imperial Pueblan milk snake". www.reptilesncritters.com. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
9. Charles. "White Sided Black Rat Snake-baby". Strictly Reptiles. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
10. "Crocodilian Exploration". Science and Exploration. Archived from the original on 26 February 2009.
11. Guo S, Liu J, Qi D, Yang J, Zhao X (2006). "Taxonomic placement and origin of yaks: implications from analyses of mtDNA D-loop fragment sequences". Acta Theriologica Sinica. 26 (4): 325–30.
12. Choi CQ (13 January 2014). "DNA Discovery Reveals Surprising Dolphin Origins". National Geographic News. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
13. Saey TH (20 June 2019). "DNA confirms a weird Greenland whale was a narwhal-beluga hybrid". Science News. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
14. Hamer T (April 1994). "Hybridization Between Barred and Spotted Owls" (PDF). The Auk: Ornithological Advances. 111 (2): 487–92. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
15. Eugene M McCarthy (September 2006). "Handbook of Avian Hybrids of the World". The Quarterly Review of Biology. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. 81 (3): 294. doi:10.1086/509448. ISBN 0-19-518323-1. ISSN 0033-5770.
16. Moore S, Coulson JO (March 2020). "Intergeneric hybridization of a vagrant Common Black Hawk and a Red-shouldered Hawk". Journal of Raptor Research. 54 (1): 74–80. doi:10.3356/0892-1016-54.1.74.
17. Voloder D (3 January 1012). "Print Email Facebook Twitter More World-first hybrid sharks found off Australia". ABC News. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
18. Geggel L (30 March 2015). "'Super' Termite Hybrid May Wreak Havoc on Florida Animals". livescience.com. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
19. Brower AV (May 2011). "Hybrid speciation in Heliconius butterflies? A review and critique of the evidence". Genetica. 139 (5): 589–609. doi:10.1007/s10709-010-9530-4. PMC 3089819. PMID 21113790.
20. McConchie C (August 1994). "Intergeneric Hybridisation between Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) and Longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour.)". Annals of Botany. 74 (2): 111–18. doi:10.1006/anbo.1994.1100. ISSN 0305-7364.