Crossbreeding
Have you ever
wondered what
would happen if
you crossed a
with
a
?
How About?
Have you ever wished
you had more hands to
do your homework,
chores, and play video
games with?
Oddly enough . . .
Scientists have thought
of things like that.
Well, maybe not exactly
a horsefly or a
boyctupus, but how
Hobbs, the liger, is a cross (a
about a liger?
hybrid) between a male lion and
a female tiger.
Patrick, the Tigon
The artificially bred
tigon is a cross
between a male tiger
and a female lion.
A Horse of a Different Color.
A zorse is a cross
between a male zebra
and a female horse.
Another Horse of a Different
Color
Probably the most popular
hybrid is the mule, the
offspring of a male
donkey and a female
horse. In fact, for many
years, the term “mule”
was applied to the
offspring of any two
creatures of a different
species. Today, we call
them hybrids.
Ever wonder where a Seedless
Orange comes from?
Because of the different
number of chromosomes
the different species have,
many times the offspring is
born sterile, or cannot
reproduce. That is why
seedless oranges,
watermelons, and tangelos
have no seeds. To grow a
new tangelo plant, you
must cross-pollinate
another tangerine and
pomelo plant.
In fact . . .
Tangelos first originated because scientists
were trying to find a way to produce a
bigger tangerine, with more fruit in it. The
result was a larger tangerine, but it did not
contain more fruit. It is, however, very
juicy which is another benefit to consumers.
Beefalo
So crossbreeding can be
used to emphasize
certain traits like in the
tangelo or in the
American Beefalo.
Beefalo are a cross
between a domestic
cow and a buffalo and
they are bred just for
their beef.
Dzo
A Dzo is a male hybrid
of a yak and a
domesticated cow.
They are larger and
stronger than cattle,
and are bred for
agricultural work in
Nepal.
Dog Crossbreeds
With dogs, crossbreeding
is very common, and
because they are
basically the same
species, the mutt or
mongrel offspring are
not usually sterile.
Think of some
A Pekeapoo is a cross
crossbreeds you are
between a Pekingese and a
familiar with.
Poodle
Can You Guess What Makes a
Labradoodle?
Cockapoo
Schnoodle
Crossbreeding
So crossbreeding can be done
to create a better, heartier
breed, to emphasize
certain traits, to keep a
species from becoming
extinct, or just because.
Whatever the reason,
crossbreeding keeps life
interesting.