Hybrid animals can be created with human intervention - however, in order to get a cross between 2 animals, they need to have similar genetic characteristics, specify experts. The majority of these types of hybrid animals live in an artificial environment.
Examples of such crossbred animals are ligers and tigons. A liger is a hybrid animal, the offspring of a cross between a male lion and female tiger. A tigon, in turn, is the cross between a female lion and male tiger.
A tigon is smaller than its parents - the animal can reach up to 440 lb (200 kg) in weight. Ligers on the other hand are larger than tigers and lions - some males can reach up to between 1100 lb (500 kg) and 1654 lb (750 kg). The record for the largest liger is held by an animal that weighed 1980 lb (898 kg). It lived during the 19th century in Bloemfontein Zoo.
Male specimens are sterile, point out experts, but female ligers and tigons can have offspring. If they mate with a lion, their offspring will be a liliger. If they mate with a tiger, the result will be a taliger.
To get a dzo, a cow and yak must interbreed - the hybrid is much larger than its parents. Female animals of this species can have offspring. As with ligers and tigons though, the males cannot. A dzo can most often be encountered in Tibet and Mongolia. Such animals are used to work the fields, since they are very strong.
Common hybrid animals in the West are the mule and hinny. The mule is the cross between a male donkey and female horse, while the hinny - a female donkey and male horse. Hinnies are larger than mules and reproduce more easily.
If you've ever wondered what would happen if you crossed a zebra and a horse, a zebra and donkey or a zebra and pony, the answer is a zebroid. Many such specimens can be found in South Africa, where zebras and donkeys live in proximity.
A zorse is the hybrid between a horse and a zebra. A cross between a domestic pig and wild boar is called an Iron Age pig. This interesting hybrid of pigs is used to produce pork sausages and delicacy meats.
A camel and llama can create what is known as a cama. Camas are actually quite fascinating in outer appearance - they have no hump, but do have a cloven hoof, short ears and long tails. In theory, camas should be able to reproduce in a natural environment.
A hybrid can also result between a polar bear and grizzly bear. The animal is called a pizzly. A while ago, hunters shot and killed a pizzly in the Northwest Territories of Canada - all tests that were conducted on it after confirmed that the bear was born naturally to a female polar bear and male grizzly.
To combine the best characteristics of meat in both types of animals, they crossbred a male bison and cow - a beefalo. There are also hybrid representatives among sea creatures - a cross between a female bottlenose dolphin and a male false killer whale. It bears the name wholphin.
The offspring between a lioness and male leopard is called a leopon. Crossbreeding between wolves and dogs is also not unheard of. It is theorized that such crossbreeding happens naturally. According to experts, wolfdogs are exceptionally unpredictable in their behavior and are required to go through special training before they are raised.
