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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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LOUDCO-HD t1_j2qnd58 wrote

With the changing climate Polar Bears have extended their range to the south and Grizzly Bears to the north, creating some overlap and some hanky Panay.

The result is known variously as Grolar, Pizzly, Zebra, Grizzlar or Nanaluk bears.

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Alittlebitmorbid t1_j2qod8x wrote

Completely normal. Even hybrid bears have been known (polar bear x grizzly). The Dingo population in Australia is suffering because they mix with feral dogs. It made the news when a 100% pure Dingo puppy (of a certain sub species) was found, he is now fathering little Dingos to help the species. Other animals also sometimes mix. I guess we never notice most hybrids as they either stand out and are preyed upon or just are not seen because it's obviously impossible to monitor this everywhere at all times.

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johnnycakeAK t1_j2qpu1k wrote

Another common one in California, Oregon, and Washington are hybrids between mule deer and blacktail deer which are fertile. More rarely, in places where both species occur, hybrids of whitetails and mule deer occur.

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Lankpants t1_j2rcfmh wrote

Replying to qwertyuiiop145 (#1,269,639)

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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Routine_Chain5213 t1_j2reh9h wrote

Not sure If we are classed as wild, (that's up for debate) but there are a lot of apperently none African folks walking around with a low percentage of Neanderthal genes..

I find it interesting on many fronts but raises the question has that been a constant low percentage or something that has been lowering over time since cross breading and Neanderthals disappearance?

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a_guy_on_Reddit_____ t1_j2rrfbr wrote

Just a small example is between two different species of ‘fire ants’.The two different species of Solenopsis invicta (RIFA) and Solenopsis xyloni often have alates that mate with members of the other species,making workers that are a mix in colour of the two species.

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Alittlebitmorbid t1_j2s24qf wrote

Replying to Snizl (#1,270,414)

Both differ genetically enough from the domesticated variants and took different paths thousands of years ago. In fact it is not sure the Przewalskis were from a domesticated group. They also show a huge lot of characteristics common in wild horses and may be a mix of the last remainders of wild living horses in Europe and domesticated ones. But there are enough other examples. In birds there are about 4000 proven examples of hybridization, half of it due to captivity, the other half occuring naturally, but the numbers are estimated to be higher as it is not always possible to identify wild living hybrids. Also we humans are hybrids, there's still Neanderthal DNA found in us.

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KolbeinSterke t1_j2t8hj7 wrote

Replying to Routine_Chain5213 (#1,269,728)

Many biologists are now classifying modern humans and Neanderthals as related subspecies. The taxonomical assignations are then Homo sapiens sapiens and Homo sapiens neanderthalensis. There's also evidence of cross breeding with Denisovans, but they haven't been properly classified, yet, and may not be a separate species or subspecies.

The percentage will have been higher among the first tribes to breed with Neanderthals, but probably have fallen to the current level fairly quickly. Generally, "weird" qualities will disappear, unless they're useful (not to mention if they're disadvantageous in their new context), which will reduce genetic variation. This has removed much Neanderthal DNA. Only a few alleles are shared in modern populations.

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kentMD t1_j2tbbz0 wrote

The Amazon Molly is perhaps the most interesting. It exists as an all female species that is a sexual parasite on the two species that it arose from. It uses their sperm to stimulate its eggs but destroys and doesn’t use their genetic material and instead proceeds with a form of parthenogenesis https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_molly#:~:text=The%20Amazon%20molly%20(Poecilia%20formosa,essentially%20all%20individuals%20are%20females.

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