It looks like we made it to the last Wild Hybrid Fact, however, there may be more in the future. I saved this one for last since I remember the story breaking about the first confirmed Grizzly/Polar Bear hybrid being found in the wild. There is still some confusion about what the hybrid should be called. A few of the suggestions are the Pizzly Bear, the Grolar Bear or the Nanulak, which is Inuit. For now, I guess you get to choose which one you like the best.
In 2006, a hunter shot and killed a polar bear, or so he thought. Government officials inspected the kill and noticed that it had the thick white coat like a polar bear but it had long claws, a humped back, a shallow face and brown patches which are all characteristics of a Grizzly. DNA samples indicated that the bear was a hybrid but just imagine how nervous the hunter was knowing that he may face a fine as well as prison time if he shot a grizzly bear. We have known that bear hybrids exist as we have created them in zoos but wild hybrids were only speculated due to lack of DNA evidence. This is why that story in 2006 made headlines.
Although polar bears and grizzlies are closely related, their life history characteristics keep them from interbreeding. Grizzly bears prefer to mate on land while polar bears mate out on ice floes. Although, I guess a polar bear can’t be picky since it is very tough for them to find a mate with so much territory in the Arctic.
In general, the hybrid tends to be in between both the polar and grizzly bear. Usually, they will be smaller than the polar but larger than the grizzly bear, they have long necks like polar bears but small shoulders like grizzlies. Interestingly enough the soles of the hybrids feet is only partially covered in hair. This is interesting since this is an adaptation for the polar bear to be able to stand the cold on their feet. This type of thing makes me wonder how well these animals would survive in the wild.
Well, there you have it! A week full of crazy hybrid animals. I hope you enjoyed the facts. Have a great weekend!
What a fascinating week! Can’t say as I see the need for messing with nature(in labs). Let’s hope they know what they’re doing!
As far as the hunter, I would think that the laws would have to change to read hybrids in order for anyone to be charged.
It seems like most of our readers don’t agree with messing with nature in labs. I wouldn’t count on them knowing what they are doing though!
You are right about the hunter. Until the law is changed then he couldn’t be charged. The hybrid bear just confused officials at that point. I do believe the hunter was even allowed to keep his prize, which he had mounted.
Nathan-When I first happened on the picture of the liger I thought it was one of my old LSD trips acting up again. All these hybrids look like the creation of some cartoonist’s or mythologist’s weird imagination. But they’re real, and that’s even more fantastic.
“One of my old LSD trips”….LOL!
They do look make believe don’t they? It is fascinating that they are real but I am not sure how fantastic it is. The purpose of this week was to bring these animals to the forefront and let my readers know what is going on and that humans are creating some bizarre animals.
Thanks for stopping by, NP!
I was fortunate enough to get up close to a liger (a cub born of a male lion and female tiger) named Hercules at Jungle Island in Miami. They are magnificent animals. The zoologist I spoke with said that interbreeding of animals in the same genus but different species is likely to become more common as the species become more endangered. The differences between a liger and a tigon (a cub born of a male tiger and female lion) are astounding.
That is awesome that you had the opportunity to get close and personal with a baby liger! That is interesting to think they are interbreeding as a way to offset the animals becoming endangered. It still makes me wonder if it is necessary? I suppose we are having a hand in the extinction of many animals so perhaps it is a way of compensating. I am still not fond of the idea of creating new animals.
I had thought about writing about the tigon as well considering how different it was but I decided against it for some reason.
Thanks for sharing your story and the insight. It definitely allows me to see a different side of the interbreeding coin.