Animals bred and domesticated by man. How new breeds of animals appear

The animal world is rich in its diversity. But a person does not get tired of experimenting, creating some types. Sometimes it makes practical sense, and sometimes people just want to get an unusual animal. Most often in the wild, human-made hybrids do not take root, but there are also reverse examples. We have created a lot of amazing new animals, the most unusual of them will be our story.

Zebroid. To create such an animal, zebras were crossed with horses or donkeys, ponies. The idea to cross related species appeared quite a long time ago, for the first time these hybrids appeared in the 19th century. Usually the father is a zebra. It is very rare for a donkey to be the father. Zebroids have distinguishing feature from zebras. A hybrid is much more comfortable to ride. The new kind noticeably distinguished by its unusual coloring. Part of it may belong to a horse, and part to a zebra. The nature of the new species is quite unpredictable, it is harder to train. Also, zebroids are born quite sickly and underdeveloped, most of these animals live only a few days. And they are often deprived of the opportunity to have offspring.

Liger and tiger. These animals were born by crossing predatory felines. A liger has a lion father and a tigress mother. A tigrolev, on the contrary, is a cross between a male tiger and a lioness. Ligers are quite large, they are generally considered the largest cats in the world. They look like big lions, but with blurry stripes. But tigers suffer from small sizes, they eventually grow smaller than their parents. The liger Hercules lives in Miami, whose height is as much as 3 meters and weight is 544 kilograms. In a hybrid, males are sterile. But their females sometimes have the opportunity to bring offspring. Ligers love to swim, just like tigers, unlike lions.

Beefalo. This breed was bred in order to get best source meat. To do this, scientists crossed a cow and an American bison. Similar hybrids are also known to science - bison, crossbreeds of cattle and yaks. New species are created so that they can inherit best properties their parents and give more meat. Bifalo has a bright red color, which is important, it contains much less cholesterol than traditional beef. True, most buyers are generally unaware of the existence of such a product. After all, you can buy it only in a few stores in Seattle. Beefalo breeders say that its meat also has a more delicate and delicate aroma and taste than beef.

Camel. This animal is a hybrid of a llama and a camel. The camel was first born in 1995. Since the size of the animals does not allow them to mate in vivo, then scientists were forced to resort to artificial insemination. The resulting hybrid has short ears and a long camel tail. But the camel's hooves are double, the legs are very strong and rather long. But this is very important for long journeys through the deserts. The camel is a strong but small animal. In addition, it is also devoid of a hump, while its fur is fluffy, like that of a llama. Breeders have long tried to develop a new hybrid. It was obtained only by using a camel as a father and a llama as a mother.

Levopard. This animal was obtained by crossing a lioness and a male leopard. The body resembles a leopard, there is also a characteristic color. The spots are not black, but brown. But the head is more like a lion's. The size of the new hybrid exceeds the size of a leopard. Leopard loves to climb trees and swim in the water. The first documented mention of this animal is found in 1910 in India. The most successful experiments on the removal of levopard were carried out in Japan. The lioness Sonoko from the leopard Kaneo in 1959 gave birth to two cubs, and three years later three more. Male hybrids were infertile, the last of them died in 1985. But one of the females was able to give birth to offspring from a hybrid of a lion and a jaguar.

Servakot. This hybrid is often referred to as the Savannah cat. It turned out by crossing the usual domestic cat and a wild African serval cat with a spotted color. And in order to get the most beautiful individuals they use different breeds cats. It can be Bengal, Serengeti, Egyptian Mau or Oriental Shorthair. The Serengeti breed itself was created recently by crossing the Bengal and Oriental breeds. It is named after a national park in northern Tanzania, Africa. This is where the serval lives. In 2001, the Savannah cat was officially recognized as a new breed by the International Cat Association. The servakot turned out to be a beautiful and strong animal. It is much friendlier than ordinary domestic cats. Servakats are believed to be as loyal as dogs. They are taught to walk on a leash, to bring a thrown stick or even a shot game. According to the standards, a server cat must have black or brown spots, silver or black color. Usually these animals have high erect ears, long thin neck and head, short tail. Servakot's eyes are blue in childhood and green during adult life. These cats weigh from 6 to 14 kilograms. They are not cheap, as for pets - from $ 600 and above.

Polar grizzly. Such a hybrid was obtained by crossing a polar bear and a grizzly bear. Surprisingly, the genetic relationship does not lead to the crossing of these species under conditions wildlife. They simply avoid each other, occupying different ecological niches. Grizzly prefers to live and breed on the ground, but polar bear loved water and ice. However, in 2006, a strange bear was discovered in the Canadian part of the Arctic, on the island of Banks. The study of his DNA allowed him to be declared a polar grizzly born in natural conditions. Similar individuals met before, just then DNA analysis was impossible. The polar bear is distinguished by thick, creamy white fur, similar to that of polar bears. He has long claws, a hunchbacked back, small features face and brown spots around the eyes and nose, which is typical for grizzlies.

A hybrid of sheep and goat. In 2000, a ram and a goat were accidentally crossed in Botswana. The animals were simply kept together. The new animal was named "Toast of Botswana". Sheep and goats have different numbers of chromosomes - 54 and 60. Therefore, their offspring are usually stillborn. But the surviving hybrid was able to inherit the signs of both of its parents at once. He has long wool, like a sheep, and goat's feet. outer hair were rough, and the inside of the wool was soft. The animal turned out to have a heavy ram's body. At 5 years old, it weighed 93 kilograms. The animal had 57 chromosomes, which turned out to be the average between the number of its parents. The hybrid turned out to be very active, with increased libido, albeit infertile. That is why at 10 months he was castrated. Cases of obtaining such a hybrid were noted in New Zealand and Russia.

Fish red parrot. Asian love it aquarium fish constantly creating new species. This species was bred in Taiwan in 1986. How such a mutation was obtained is still a secret. After all, this allows local breeders to continue to maintain a monopoly on these fish. Rumor has it that the midas cyclid was crossed with a red cichlid. Their fry are gray-black, but by 5 months they become bright orange or pink. We learned this fish in the 90s, they bring it here from Singapore and other countries of Southeast Asia. If a red parrot is placed in an aquarium, then the fish can grow up to 10-15 centimeters there. Color can vary greatly orange color yellow is also possible. At some point in their lives, parrots can be crimson, purple, and bright red. However, over time, they all acquire an orange color. Experts advise feeding this fish with special food with carotene, this will help enhance the bright red color of their body. The resulting hybrid also has some pronounced anatomical deformities. For example, the mouth looks like a narrow vertical slit. Because of this, these fish are very difficult to feed, which is why many of them die prematurely.

hybrid pheasant. This bird was obtained by crossing a golden pheasant with a diamond one. As a result, the new bird received a unique coloring of its plumage.

Orca dolphin. Quite rarely, but still it is possible to cross aquatic animals. This is the fruit of a dolphin from the family of bottlenose dolphins and a small black killer whale. There are only two such individuals in captivity. Both of them live in Hawaii, in a marine park. The sizes of the hybrids are somewhere between the original species. The name of the first orca dolphin is known - Kekaimalu. The mixture is well defined by the teeth. If the bottlenose dolphin has 88 of them, and the killer whale has 44, then the hybrid has 66 of them.

Pig from the Iron Age. To obtain such a breed, domestic pigs of the Temvor breed are crossed with wild boars. So it turns out a pig from the Iron Age. This hybrid is much more tame than the wild boar. However, it is not as malleable as ordinary domestic pigs. The resulting animals are raised for their meat, which is used in some specialty sausages and other products.

Dogwolf. These animals interbreed quite often and freely in nature. The wolf is a rather cautious animal, its behavior is unique, the hunter's instinct is very developed. The jaws of the dog are not as strongly developed as those of its wild predatory relative. When crossed, wolves are more shy than dogs. It is impossible to predict how the hybrid will behave in the future. To tame a dog wolf, a long training is required. After all, a hybrid can unwittingly choose the line of behavior of any of its parents. A dog wolf can become a very dangerous creature. After all, he will be cunning and predatory, like a wolf and fearless in relation to a person, like a dog. Recently in the Czech Republic, cynologists decided to cross the Carpathian lone wolves with German shepherds. Specialists wanted to get the perfect police dog. But it turned out that the resulting dog wolf was in no way suitable for such work. The animals were either nervous and cowardly, or unnecessarily angry and aggressive. The resulting breed, however, was recognized and named the Czech top. In Holland, they tried to cross all the same German shepherds and Canadian pack wolves. The results were also not what they expected. But another breed appeared - the Saarloos Wolfhond. And in Moscow they crossed siberian husky and a jackal. The goal was to get a new breed that would be as obedient as a dog and would have the sharp scent of a wild animal. However, the results will be clear only after the third generation of the new breed.

Today we will tell you about the five animals that were bred by man.

1. big cat from the jungle

The most expensive cat breed is called Savannah and is a domesticated version of the wild serval. The breed was bred in the 80s of the last century. This breed was bred not only for the sake of scientific interest, but also for the purpose of conservation in nature. wild cheetahs and leopards - the most popular "cats" among wealthy gentlemen. Alternative wild predators very affectionate and sociable, despite the formidable and dangerous view, as befits a relative of wild cats.

In 1986, Bengal breeder Judy Frank introduced the first Savannah, a calf of a real serval and a domestic Siamese cat. Only in 2001 the breed was officially recognized and registered.
Savannahs reach 45 centimeters at the withers and weigh about 14 kg. The price of a kitten is from 7 to 23 thousand dollars.

2. The habits of savannahs are more like dogs: they play fetch, walk on leashes, splash in ponds and are easy to train. The representatives of the savannas also lack feline independence - cats are devoted, like dogs, and follow the owner, waiting for him at the door in case of leaving.

3. Domestic fox

Back in the 50s of the last century, the Soviet geneticist Dmitry Belyaev put forward the idea of domesticating the fox. He took as a basis the population of silver-black foxes. Belyaev and his colleagues raised several generations of domestic foxes, choosing the most intelligent and obedient from each litter.

As a result of this selection, animals were playful, friendly to humans, whose habits resembled those of a dog. Despite the fact that foxes were not crossed with other breeds, their appearance: white spots appeared, tails began to twist, and ears began to hang down. Such changes were explained by the fact that in the process of domestication, the level of adrenaline in the blood of animals decreased.

4. To purchase such a domestic fox, you will have to pay from 7 thousand dollars. Moreover, keep in mind that foxes are very curious and love to repeat the actions of the owner. You may also need to buy a baby bouncer for your pet if you want to relax in your favorite chair without kicking out a snugly curled up fox.

5. Half zebra, half pony

Not a single person has yet been able to tame a zebra, despite many attempts. There is no practical need for such attempts either: the nature of zebras is not flexible, endurance is almost zero.

However, scientists decided to try to domesticate at least a half-zebra. By crossing male zebras with females of other horses (ponies, donkeys, horses), a number of new species were bred, called "zebroids": zebra and horse - zors, zebra and donkey - zonk, zebra and pony - zoni.

6. All zebra hybrids are sterile. Therefore, they will not have offspring. The most famous zebroid was the sonk of Sir Sanderson Temple of Lancashire. All his life, the sonk drove a cart along the alleys of the park.

7. Kama - a small camel

To get a new breed, scientists crossed a male one-humped camel and a female llama. These animals are actually distant relatives whose evolutionary path diverged millions of years ago. The difference in height did not allow reproduction naturally, so scientists resorted to artificial insemination.

In 1998, the first kama was born in Dubai. The cub was named Rama. Then Camila, Jamila and Rocky saw the light.

Cams have short ears a long tail like a camel, the hooves are cloven like those of llamas, complete absence hump. Kamas have a docile nature, small stature and thick hair. They are hardy and strong, like a dad camel.

However, most importantly, camel-llama hybrids are fertile.

8. Sarloos wolf dog

It took scientists more than one decade to bring out a domestic wolf. In 1925, the Dutch breeder Lander Sarlos crossed a Russian she-wolf and a male. german shepherd. Then he devoted his whole life to the selection of the strongest and most enduring puppies of dog-wolves, crossing them among themselves.

Since 1969, after the death of Sarlos, the experiments were continued by his daughter and wife.

9. The animal obtained as a result of many years of crossbreeding, outwardly does not differ from a wolf - strong, intelligent, hardy, with a stubborn, independent character. These dog-wolves do not know how to bark, periodically howling at the moon.

The only difference between a dog-wolf and a wild wolf is that they recognize a person as the leader of their pack. Therefore, as service dogs they are irreplaceable. In Holland and some other countries, these dogs are used as guide dogs in rescue operations.

Mankind has been domesticating and breeding new breeds of animals for many millennia, but it is still not enough. We want to subjugate the most recalcitrant and independent representatives of the world of fauna and turn them into cute and affectionate animals. And science is ready to help us with this.

1. Big jungle cat - just not dangerous at all

This most amazing and expensive cat breed called "savannah" - home version wild serval - bred in the 1980s. And not just for the sake of scientific interest. The point is that the big wild cats very popular with wealthy gentlemen. In order to protect real cheetahs and leopards from such "nature lovers" (and vice versa), breeders created this alternative - a beast that looks formidable and dangerous, but in fact is affectionate and sociable.

The first savannah was introduced to the world in 1986 by Bengal breeder Judy Frank. It was obtained by crossing a male real serval with a domestic Siamese cat. And in 2001, the breed was officially recognized and registered.

The size of these cats is impressive: they reach 45 centimeters at the withers and weigh up to 14 kilograms. True, it all depends on what generation she is from; the more serval in it, the larger it is. And more expensive - the price of savannas ranges from 7 to 23 thousand dollars.

By habits, savannahs are more reminiscent of dogs than cats - they also like to play “fetch”, walk the streets on a leash and splash in ponds. Yes, and train them - a pleasure.

Cat independence in them, too, is not at all. While you are at home, the shroud will follow you with its tail, and when you leave, it will be bored and waiting at the door. In general, a dog, and nothing more. Unless it barks.

2. Domestic fox: good-natured like a dog and independent like a cat

The idea to domesticate a fox first came up with the Soviet geneticist Dmirty Belyaev in the 1950s. Taking as a basis the population of silver-black foxes, Belyaev and his employees raised several generations of animals, diligently selecting the most intelligent and obedient from each generation. Selected individuals were crossed with each other.

The result is a playful and human-friendly creature, reminiscent of a dog in habits. The most curious thing is that although the foxes were not crossed with any other breed, their appearance also changed significantly: white spots appeared, the tails began to twist, and the ears began to hang down. Scientists explain such transformations by the fact that during the process of domestication, the level of adrenaline in the blood of animals decreased significantly.

Now these foxes are sold as pets. True, this pleasure is not at all cheap - for one fox you will have to pay about seven thousand dollars.

3. Half zebra, half pony/horse/donkey

Zebra - to be sure, a very pretty horse. But so far, man has not been able to tame her. Yes, and there is no particular practical need, since her endurance is not so hot, and her character is not sugar.

And yet, scientists decided to domesticate, if not a zebra, then a half-zebra.

By crossing male zebras with females of other equines (ponies, horses or donkeys), they developed a whole range of new species, which are called zebroids. When crossing a zebra and a horse, a "zors" is obtained, a zebra and a donkey - a "zonk", a zebra and a pony - a "zony".

These animals feel great both among the relatives of the father and mother, but they cannot have offspring with either one or the other - all these hybrids are sterile.

The appearance of these animals, of course, is quite funny, but why did you need to bring them out - it remains big mystery. The most famous zebroid was Sir Sanderson Temple's zonk (a hybrid of a zebra and a donkey) from Lancashire. All his life until his death, this animal was engaged exclusively in the fact that he drove a cart along the alleys.

4. Kama - a small flexible camel

This animal was obtained by crossing a male one-humped camel and a female llama. They are distant relatives, who each went their own evolutionary path for millions of years. Due to the striking difference in growth, the option of natural reproduction did not have to be considered, so fertilization was carried out artificially.

The first Kama was born in 1998 in Dubai (UAE). Scientists, thanks to which this joyful event happened, gave the cub the name Rama. After that, the same team contributed to the birth of three more cam babies - Camila, Jamil and Rocky.

All kamas have short ears and a long tail, like a camel's, but their hooves are cloven like a llama's, and there is no hump. In addition, each of them inherited a complaisant character, small stature and soft thick wool from their mother, strength and endurance from their father. In general, a fairy tale, not an animal. And most importantly: all Kama hybrids were fertile!

5. Sarloos wolf dog

Breeders have been working on breeding the “domesticated wolf” for decades. In 1925, a breeder from the Netherlands, Lander Sarlos, crossed a Russian she-wolf and a German shepherd dog, and then all his life he was engaged in selecting the strongest and most enduring wolf-dog puppies and crossing them with each other. And after the death of Sarlos in 1969, his wife and daughter continued the experiments.

The result is an animal that is almost no different from a wolf in size and appearance - just as strong, smart and hardy, with the same pack instinct, stubborn and independent character. These dog-wolves do not even know how to bark, they only howl at the moon sometimes. So, in essence, this is still the same wolf ... with one, but very significant difference: the Sarlos dog willingly recognizes a person as the leader of his pack. Therefore, they, as service dogs, simply have no equal. In Holland and some other European countries, these dogs are used as guide dogs, they are involved in rescuing drowning people, helping to pull people out of the rubble, etc.

However, experts still do not advise taking a wolf dog into the house, especially where there are small children. Too much in it wild beast, not much...

This most amazing and expensive cat breed called "savannah" - a domestic version of a wild serval - was bred in the 1980s. And not just for the sake of scientific interest. The fact is that big wild cats are very popular with wealthy gentlemen. In order to protect real cheetahs and leopards from such "nature lovers" (and vice versa), breeders created this alternative - a beast that looks formidable and dangerous, but in fact is affectionate and sociable.

By habits, savannahs are more reminiscent of dogs than cats - they also like to play “fetch”, walk the streets on a leash and splash in ponds. Yes, and train them - a pleasure.

2. Domestic fox: good-natured like a dog and independent like a cat

Now these foxes are sold as pets. True, this pleasure is not at all cheap - for one fox you will have to pay about seven thousand dollars.

3. Half zebra, half pony/horse/donkey

And yet, scientists decided to domesticate, if not a zebra, then a half-zebra.

These animals feel great both among the relatives of the father and mother, but they cannot have offspring with either one or the other - all these hybrids are sterile.

The appearance of these animals, of course, is quite funny, but why it was necessary to bring them out remains a big mystery. The most famous zebroid was Sir Sanderson Temple's zonk (a hybrid of a zebra and a donkey) from Lancashire. All his life until his death, this animal was engaged exclusively in the fact that he drove a cart along the alleys.

4. Kama - a small flexible camel

5. Sarloos wolf dog

1 Big Jungle Cat

The most expensive cat breed is called Savannah and is a domesticated version of the wild serval. The breed was bred in the 80s of the last century. This breed was bred not only for the sake of scientific interest, but also for the purpose of saving wild cheetahs and leopards in nature - the most popular "cats" among wealthy gentlemen. The alternative to wild predators is very affectionate and sociable, despite the formidable and dangerous appearance, as befits a relative of wild cats.

In 1986, Bengal breeder Judy Frank introduced the first Savannah, a calf of a real serval and a domestic Siamese cat. Only in 2001 the breed was officially recognized and registered.

Savannahs reach 45 centimeters at the withers and weigh about 14 kg. The price of a kitten is from 7 to 23 thousand dollars.

3. Domestic fox

As a result of this selection, animals were playful, friendly to humans, whose habits resembled those of a dog. Despite the fact that foxes were not crossed with other breeds, their appearance changed: white spots appeared, tails began to twist, and ears began to hang down. Such changes were explained by the fact that in the process of domestication, the level of adrenaline in the blood of animals decreased.

4. To purchase such a domestic fox, you will have to pay from 7 thousand dollars. Moreover, keep in mind that foxes are very curious and love to repeat the actions of the owner.

5. Half zebra, half pony

Not a single person has yet been able to tame a zebra, despite many attempts. There is no practical need for such attempts either: the nature of zebras is not flexible, endurance is almost zero.

7. Kama - a small camel

To get a new breed, scientists crossed a male one-humped camel and a female llama. These animals are actually distant relatives whose evolutionary path diverged millions of years ago. The difference in height did not allow natural reproduction, so scientists resorted to artificial insemination.

In 1998, the first kama was born in Dubai. The cub was named Rama. Then Camila, Jamila and Rocky saw the light.

Camels have short ears, a long tail like a camel, hoofs split like llamas, and a complete lack of a hump. Kamas have a docile nature, small stature and thick hair. They are hardy and strong, like a dad camel.

However, most importantly, camel-llama hybrids are fertile.

8. Sarloos wolf dog

It took scientists more than one decade to bring out a domestic wolf. In 1925, the Dutch breeder Lander Sarlos crossed a Russian she-wolf and a German shepherd dog. Then he devoted his whole life to the selection of the strongest and most enduring puppies of dog-wolves, crossing them among themselves.

Since 1969, after the death of Sarlos, the experiments were continued by his daughter and wife.

The only difference between a dog-wolf and a wild wolf is that they recognize a person as the leader of their pack. Therefore, they are indispensable as service dogs. In Holland and some other countries, these dogs are used as guide dogs in rescue operations.