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ConnoisseurOfDanger t1_j2qmxgb wrote

Yes, it's actually a pretty standard avenue toward speciation, aka the recognition of a new species https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_speciation

It's more common in plants but it happens in animals as well. Hybrid animals actually can sometimes reproduce (that's how they can become a new species, after all), depending on the genetic qualities of the parents. Ligers (lion-tigers) are fertile and can mate with other ligers, tigers, or lions. The well-known example of the sterile mule is due to the fact that horses and donkeys donate 32 and 31 chromosomes to their offspring, respectively, so the child of a donkey-horse pairing (a mule) will have an odd number of chromosomes, leaving them unable to reproduce.

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qwertyuiiop145 t1_j2raux5 wrote

Only female ligers are fertile, males are sterile. This is part of why we still consider lions and tigers to be different species not subspecies

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Lankpants t1_j2rcfmh wrote

There are examples of animals that are considered different species that also produce fertile offspring. The most well known one is the grizzly and polar bear, but it's also quite common amongst whales.

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ReaperofFish t1_j2rmcoq wrote

Coyotes and wolves have fertile offspring but still considered separate species.

There is debate about whether wolves and dogs are separate species or not.

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Mrknowitall666 t1_j2rsn8r wrote

Recently tests found that all eastern Coyote are hybrids

https://scitechconnect.elsevier.com/eastern-coyotes-hybrids-coywolf/#:~:text=New%20genetic%20tests%20show%20that,geographic%20location%20of%20the%20canine.

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phalloguy1 t1_j2t1ybz wrote

I remember reading maybe 15 years ago a wildlife biologist in Ontario referring to this hybrid as Canis Soupus.

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DooDooSlinger t1_j2ymtme wrote

Yes - but animals which can't cross breed are definitely different species, that's what they meant. It is sufficient but not necessary.

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Krail t1_j2uwfob wrote

The coywolf is also an up-and-coming hybrid. A mix of coyote, dog, and two different wolf species that is becoming increasingly common.

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Antique-me1133 t1_j2xu4dk wrote

Read the article, you will see that coywolf is an inaccurate name as virtually all coyotes are hybrids of coyote, wolf and dog.

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