,
researchers wrote about spotting a rare creature off the west coast of
Greenland: the narluga, a hybridization of a narwhal and a beluga.
Narwhals and belugas belong to the same family, though the two differ
slightly.
Narwhals don’t have teeth, but they do have that massive
horn (technically an overgrown tooth), while belugas have teeth, but
don’t (obviously) have a horn. The narluga, however, strikes an odd
balance: it has no external horn, but all of its teeth are like
miniature narwhal horns: sharp, pointy, and ridged. Photographic
evidence of the crossover isn’t widely available, so you’ll just have to
use your imagination.
Zebras and donkeys belong to the
same genetic group, but only male zebra and female donkey hybrids are
consider zonkeys. (The opposite is a zedonk.) Found mainly in wild
Africa,
zonkeys are still extremely rare, as they cannot produce their own offspring.
5. Liger
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Perhaps the most famous animal-hybrid, a liger, the result of a male lion and female tiger, can
grow to twice the size of its parents.
Pairing two enormous, notoriously deadly felines together might not
exactly seem “cute,” on the page, but just one look at a liger kitten
(above) is sure to change your mind.
6. Wholphin
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By mating of a female common
bottlenose dolphin with a male false killer whale, the wholphin was
born. (Though you’ll find scientists who don’t exactly
like that term, since the false killer whale is technically classified as a dolphin.)
The
first wholphin was born
in 1981 at the Tokyo SeaWorld, but only survived 200 days. Kekaimalu,
born in 1985 at Hawaii’s Sea Life Park, is the world’s most well-known
wholphin, and has even produced several offspring. To date, wholphins
are still extremely rare and usually only exist in contained parks.
7. Wolfdog
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The name says it all. A wolfdog is a mix of two canine breeds: the wolf
and the domestic dog. Over centuries of domestication, dogs evolved from
wolves. As a result, the wolfdog can be found in nature. More often
than not, though, they’re bred in captivity. Today, the private
ownership of wolfdogs as pets is
a controversial issue since they tend to be more aggressive as a result of their wolf genetics.
8. Savannah Cat
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Part domestic house cat, part wild serval African cat, this
feline-hybrid is fierce but friendly. The first Savannah cat was bred in
1986, and, since then, the breed has grown through
many generations. The
telltale sign is their spotted pattern—a result of their wild genetics.
While often kept as a luxurious pet, with costs as high as $10,000, be
wary before adopting one. Aside from the sky-high fee, some
states—including Massachusetts, Georgia, and Texas—have strict laws on
the books against owning hybridized felines. Be sure to research your
state’s laws before bringing home one of these cuties.
9. Zorse
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A zorse is the crossbreed of a
male zebra and female horse. While they typically look more horse-like,
their zebra genetics are unmistakable due to their classic zebra
stripes. While zonkeys can exist in the wild, it is almost impossible
for a zorse to
develop without human intervention, due to the respective habitats of their source animals.
10. Cama
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The cama is a crossbreed of a male camel and female llama. The hybrid first
originated in the 1990s from the work of Dubai scientists,
with the aim of creating an animal capable of resulting in higher wool
production than a llama. More hybrids have been bred since then, and,
while the cama, typically has longer legs than a llama, it does not have
the distinctive hump of a camel.
11. Pumapard
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One of many
Panthera hybrids, the pumapard is the combination of a puma and a leopard. The
hybrid was born
in the early 1990s, but little is known about the pumapard. Pretty much
only one thing’s for certain: the pumapard has a tendency to experience
dwarfism, and never reaches the size of either parent.
12. Green Seaslug
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One part animal, one part… plant? Yes, the green seaslug is a strange hybridization between
the two anchors of Mother Nature. Scientifically referred to as the
elysia chlorotica, they can be found along the east coast, typically in
salt marshes or shallow creeks. The slug’s ability to
photosynthesize food makes it one of the most interesting hybrids out there. Plus, it’s totally adorable.
13. Hinny
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Kind of an inverse mule, or a male donkey bred with a female horse, the
hinny is the total inverse: a female donkey bred with a male horse. A
hinny typically has the body of a donkey and the extremities of a horse. While sometimes mistaken for mules,
hinnies are not as common. They can be found in South America.
14. Bengal Cat
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The Bengal
cat
is a hybrid between the domesticated cat and an Asian leopard. Contrary
to the usual gentle calmness of a normal domestic cat, Bengal cats are
highly active, due to their wild nature. They were first bred in 1963,
and
most Bengal cats today are descendants of the original cross-breed.
15. Dzo
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Crossbred between the yak and the domestic cattle, the dzo originates in Tibet and the now-common hybrid is often
kept as a farm animal. Typically larger than either parent, they have cattle-like faces, but the large horns of a yak.
