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Interspecies hybrids: natural & artificial

United States Siegfried Offline
Wildanimal Enthusiast
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#6
( This post was last modified: 04-13-2017, 07:00 PM by Ngala )

I find the taxonomy of these cats both quite interesting and very confusing.  First, there is the concept of hybrid vigor:

hybrid vigorn.Increased vigor or other superior qualities arising from the crossbreeding of genetically different plants or animals. Also called heterosis.

But how different it too different?

Hybridization between tiger subspecies is said to produce monster tigers, yet for some reason this seems to not be the case with lions as seen in this article:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4101049.stm

The article above even refers to the different subspecies of lions as different species.

Here is the simple commonly used loose definition of species that I have always used: if two animals can produce fertile offspring of both sexes they are therefore by definition of the same species.

Lions and tigers are clearly two distinct species as seen in the lack of fertility in male tigons and ligers.

DNA and genetics however, seem to complicate taxonomic definitions.

I have read (sorry, can't find a link to it) studies indicating that there is such a genetic difference between island tigers and mainland tigers that they should be considered different species altogether rather than merely different subspecies of tigers.  Perhaps someone can provide more on this.

Are the offspring (both genders) of mainland tiger subspecies hybridization fertile? Are those between island and mainland tigers fertile?

Then, there are these two pages:

http://messybeast.com/genetics/hyb-lion-subspecies.htm
http://messybeast.com/genetics/hyb-tiger-subspecies.htm

There are also hybrids of polar and brown bears. Does anyone (Brotherbear) offer more about these hybrid bears?

Like I said, both interesting and confusing.  Thoughts?

 
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Messages In This Thread
RE: Freak Specimens - Siegfried - 06-19-2014, 07:15 AM
RE: Freak Specimens - GrizzlyClaws - 06-19-2014, 08:02 AM
RE: Freak Specimens - GuateGojira - 06-19-2014, 08:24 PM
RE: Freak Specimens - Apollo - 06-19-2014, 09:10 PM
Hybridization in Panthera subspecies - Siegfried - 10-23-2014, 02:44 PM
Hybrids - brotherbear - 12-31-2018, 07:24 PM
RE: Hybrids - nobody - 01-29-2019, 03:08 AM
RE: Hybrids - brotherbear - 01-29-2019, 03:46 AM
RE: Hybrids - Shadow - 01-29-2019, 03:57 AM
RE: Hybrids - brotherbear - 01-29-2019, 12:23 PM
RE: Hybrids - Luipaard - 04-18-2019, 11:26 AM
RE: Hybrids - Sully - 10-24-2019, 06:47 AM
RE: Hybrids - BorneanTiger - 10-30-2019, 06:04 PM
RE: Hybrids - Sully - 11-01-2019, 08:47 AM
RE: Hybrids - Rishi - 11-01-2019, 11:06 AM
RE: Hybrids - BorneanTiger - 11-22-2019, 04:04 PM



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