I have heard of the existence of hybrids between addax and various oryx species, as well as between Bactrian and Dromedary camels, but pictures of these species on the web seem to be lacking. Does anyone have photos of these alleged hybrid animals? Thanks in advance. Another hybrid I have heard of is the rheboon (Rhesus macaque x Baboon), but again, no pictures.
Photo from Auckland Zoo (taken in 1992) of a female Gemsbok and two hybrid Gemsbok X Scimitar-horned Oryx born in 1984 and 1985. I'm not sure which animals are which because they all look pretty similar. At the time of the births the pure female (the mother) was the only Gemsbok left in New Zealand. All three animals went to Hamilton Zoo in 1995 and all are now dead. They were just labelled as Gemsbok at both zoos, although Auckland Zoo clearly recorded the births of the hybrids at the time.
I would say the pure Gemsbok is the one lying down on the right, so by deduction the other two are the hybrids. The one visible on the left is slightly lighter in colour and may have more slightly more curved horns though its hard to tell from the angle.
The old Belle Vue Zoo bred a hybrid Arabian x Scimitar-horned. Cricket St Thomas had a hybrid Camel -- I remember it. Clinton Keeling's book on hybrid mammals (reworked for publication by Russell Tofts for the Bartlett Society) is full of interesting stuff.
Years ago I saw a mule deer x white-tailed deer hybrid at the (now closed) Payson Zoo in Arizona. The parents were rescue animals and the owner says Arizona Game & Fish told him they would not interbreed. Obviously they were wrong. Zebra x domestic donkey hybrids are fairly common (I have seen photos but not sure if I have seen one in person, maybe I have). For a short time (not sure why they stopped) Out Of Africa in Arizona had camel rides with dromedary x bactrian hybrids, which they claimed gave better rides than either of the pure species. (The rides were operated by an outside company).
Agreed, although I think the best book on hybrid mammals is definitely Mammalian Hybrids (Annie P. Gray; 1971). Several bongo x sitatunga hybrids were born in Antwerp Zoo; I assume the Planckendael animal was one of these. Interestingly, the hybrids were fertile and a female hybrid gave birth after mating with a sitatunga. I've seen both Grant's zebra x domestic donkey hybrids and a plains zebra x Somali wild ass hybrid. (I've also seen Grevy's zebra x horse hybrids.)
The commonest hybrid (at least in the past) is of course the domestic Mule, an animal of huge economic, cultural and developmental, and indeed wartime, importance on both mainland Europe and in North America. Multiple breeds of both species were selected over many hundreds of years for nothing else other than producing hybrids. Well known examples are the Baudet du Poitou donkey and the Mulassier horse from central-western France and the Mammoth Jackstock donkey from the US, but many southern European countries have their own local breeds. Breeding huge numbers of Mules was a major economic driver in the economies of many American States. Before the development of the first rail-roads, covered wagons pulled by large teams of Mules were the only way of crossing the continent. Mules are still bred widely in the US for trail riding and competition, and the various zebra/horse and zebra/donkey hybrids with their silly names, are often produced by the same breeders. So far as I know the group of 'Zeedonks' at Colchester were all siblings, produced regularly over many years, by the natural mating of one particular Plains Zebra stallion and a black Donkey jenny.
Are there documented hybrids between the species of zebra? Seems like it would have happened at some point.
Zubron (wisent x cattle), beefalo (cattle x American bison), dzo/dzomo (cattle x yak), and yakalo (yak x American bison) are all Bos/Bison hybrids that are confirmed to have existed. Yakalo are no longer intentionally bred and zubron are only found in the Bialowieza Forest. Dzomo and beefalo are quite frequently bred for meat. Modern wisent themselves are actually speculated to be a hybrid species descended from steppe wisent (Bison priscus) and aurochs (Bos primigenius). Pictures exist of all of these except for the yakalo.
A Chapman's zebra x mountain zebra hybrid was born at London Zoo in 1915. Plains zebra x mountain zebra hybrids were also recorded at the Jardin des Plantes Menagerie (Paris) and at Belle Vue Zoo (Manchester). ( I have old postcards depicting both the London and Paris specimens.) And both Grevy's zebra x plains zebra hybrids and mountain zebra x plains zebra hybrids have been recorded in the wild too.
There's a old postcard of a zebra at Paignton Zoo which could possibly also be a Common x Mountain Zebra also, it has the Mountain zebra pattern on the rump/tail root, but no apparent dewlap.
Yes of course how could I forget mules. The Grand Canyon (which I visit once or twice a year) offers mule rides down into the canyon and the mule corral and barn are right in Grand Canyon Village, so I see them every visit.
