The animal kingdom is full of interesting creatures, from their fascinating colors and shapes to their specific behavior.
What is more interesting to learn is that in the wilderness there are also a few hybrid animals that you probably didn’t know about. We bet you never imagined that hybrids could be real. Well, these 10 rare mixed creatures will shock you.
We have an interesting list of hybrid animals you probably never knew existed. They are beautiful, exotic, and cute. Who knew a zebra and a donkey would mate, and their pup would be the most adorable animal?
1. Zebra and Donkey
The offspring of a zebra and donkey is called a zonkey. It can be found in African regions and like the zebra, it is a wild animal, rather than domestic like the donkey. It can be aggressive towards humans and other animals.
Because of the crossbreed, the zonkey has a lot of strength and that is why it’s usually used to carry things. They have a herbivorous lifestyle just like their parents.
These hybrid animals are the victims of haunting dogs and felines, however, their biggest threat remains the hunters.
Fun fact: It is believed they have a certain resistance to some diseases and infections.
2. Whale and Dolphin
It’s not a mermaid, but it is cute.
Half false killer whale, half bottlenose dolphin, a wholphin has the skin of a whale and the face of a dolphin. The first of this species was born in 1981 in Tokyo, unfortunately, he died in less than a year.
Even though most of the wholphins are born in captivity they can also be found in the wild. People say hybrids usually occur when there is a decline in the specie’s population.
Fun fact: The term wholphin was first used in 1985 in Hawaii when for the first time in the U.S. the species mated. The offspring was 400 pounds.
3. A Male Tiger and A Female Lion
The offspring of a male tiger and a female lion is called a tigon. Majestic like his mother and fierce like his father, a tigon is one of the few possible hybrid offspring.
The tigon can have stripes from his father and spots from his mother.
They do not get larger or heavier than their parents and their weight goes around 400 lbs., in the meantime, the liger’s( the hybrid resulted from a male lion and female tiger) weight is over 1200 lbs.
Unfortunately, the tigon and the liger can be found only in captivity since the lion and tiger’s habitats don’t usually overlap.
4. Jaguar and a Lion
The jaglion is perhaps one of the most beautiful hybrids. These are the offspring of the male jaguar and the female lion. Just like the previously mentioned animal, their size is larger than the usual feline’s size.
15 years ago there was a famous event in Ontario where a jaguar and a lioness who were raised together, mated and as a result, two jaglions were born, Jahzara and Tsunami.
Fun fact: A specimen is actually on display at the Walter Rothschild Zoological Museum. Its body had the lion’s color, jaguar looks alike rosettes, and its body structure.
5. A goat and a sheep
In general, people think a goat and a sheep are very similar, however, they have different amounts of chromosomes.
The offspring is called a geep or a shoat and they are very rare. That is because most of the hybrids are stillborn.
The hybrid resulting from the pairing of a sheep and a goat should not be mistaken for a goat-sheep chimera, the difference is the chimera is created in labs. The geep usually has the face and legs of a goat, however, it is covered in wool.
Fun fact: In Northern Ireland, a shoat named Butterfly was unexpectedly born at a farm.
6. A Donkey and A Horse
A hinny is a very rare hybrid animal and its parents are a female donkey and a male horse. Hinnies are usually smaller than horses.
Due to genomic imprinting, this hybrid is different than the mule when it comes to its body structure and behavior. It’s smaller, it has shorter ears, but stronger legs than the average horse. They are very sensitive and intelligent, yet pretty unpredictable.
Like the geep, a hinny is pretty rare because of the different number of chromosomes a horse and donkey have. They are very healthy, they usually have a good immune system.
7. A Grizzly and A Polar Bear
Yes, these two animals can mate too, and their offspring is called a pizzly bear or a grolar bear. In 2006 a mediatized event put the hybrid in the spotlight when a hunter from Idaho shot a pizzly when he thought it was a polar bear.
Specialists then saw his white fur which was polar bear-like, it also had the characteristics of a grizzly bear such as: a humped back, long claws, and brown patches around the eyes.
Sadly, lots of pizzlies have been shot and killed by hunters in the last decade because they were mistaken for polar bears.
8. A Coyote and A Wolf
It is not that uncommon for a coyote and a wolf to mate. The coywolf is very identical to its parents, sharing lots of similarities when it comes to their behavior.
During an observation where a female coyote gave birth to a coywolf, the hybrid was larger and heavier than the usual coyote.
However, some experiments showed that the hybrids are less aggressive in their group and reach sexual maturity much later than the coyotes do.
Their howl changes over time, in the beginning, those are similar to a gray wolf’s, but later the howl is almost the same as a coyote’s.
9. Female Tiger and Male Lion
Born from a male tiger and a female lion, the liger tends to be larger and heavier than its parents. This species is believed to first appear in the 19th century, in India. The liger is the largest feline in the world.
As a matter of fact, the largest liger, Hercules, got himself in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the largest living cat on Earth, weighing 418.2 kg. Their life expectancy goes from 13 to 18 years.
They tend to develop serious health issues such as organ failure, cancer, and sterility.
Fun fact: They like to swim, which lions don’t, but tigers love to.
10. A Camel and A Llama
What do you get from mating a camel and a llama? A cama. Who would have thought? It was first tried and succeeded, in 1998, at the Camel Reproduction Center in Dubai through artificial insemination.
The purpose of the experiment was to create an animal that can produce high-quality wool whose size and strength are of a camel’s. Only 5 were created.
It can weigh up to six times more than a llama and its diet is just like its parent’s, herbivorous. Just like camels, a cama can survive with small amounts of water or without drinking any at all for several days.
Takeaway
We know what you think. These wild hybrid animals look like they were taken out of a fairytale. We, just like you, never thought we would see the day when a donkey and a horse would mate.
However, we find it interesting that animals mate with different species and they deliver adorable and interesting hybrids.
However, if you know any other intriguing stories about hybrid offspring let us know down below in the comments. We are curious about what else lies out there in the wilderness.
If you’re interested in reading more about rare species, here’s an interesting book you may like.
Here’s an article that may catch your interest: Watch Out for These Deadly Animals Living in the Grand Canyon.
