Can a dog and a fox mate and produce a litter? My dog was in heat and a fox was hanging around...was wondering if it were possible to have dog/fox pups.
2006-07-25 12:53:26 · 15 answers · asked by renie51 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
Foxes are genus Vulpes...dogs are genus Canis. As far as I know, they cannot interbreed.
Coyotes, wolves and jackals are also genus Canis and I've heard can interbreed with dogs...but I'm not a biologist so don't take my word for it. (I just googled the info.)
2006-07-25 12:57:15 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
The answer is no, and no.
They're not only in different genera, which is no obstacle for hybridization in nature (since the genus is an arbitrary category established by the taxonomists), but they have different diploid chromosome number, which is a strong factor against hybridization.
They might mate, but they won't be able to breed.
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Warning: longer and possibly boring explanation ahead ;-) :
When animals have different chromosome numbers, the information that each of them carries does not express correctly, and most hybrids do not develop. However, in those cases where hybrids survive and reach sexual maturity, their mismatched chromosomes cannot form pairs adequately during meiosis (gamete production), so the animal is usually sterile.
The diploid number of chromosomes (2n) of dogs is 78. That is, each of its body cells has 78 chromosomes. In foxes (Vulpes vulpes, the Old world red fox), the diploid number is 36. Quite a difference!
There is one record in scientific literature of another species, Canis latrans (coyote) x Vulpes vulpes (fox) hybrids, but the pups, which were born in a zoo, died (see first link to the publication with many interesting cases of hybridization).
Moreover, the analysis of their chromosomes has shown that
these karyotype differences are due to 26 chromosomal fusion events and 4 fission events (see the second link for the publication if you're interested), which means that their lineages separated a long time ago, and have diverged since then.
According to another analysis (third link), the dogs and wolves are actually more closely related to the South American foxes (which are other genera) than to the Vulpes foxes.
See? I told you it was boring :-P
2006-07-25 14:30:26 · answer #2 · answered by Calimecita 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nope. Dogs and foxes are totally different. My dog might try to mate with a fox (and probabaly has tried!) but no litter would be produced.
The fox was probably attracted to the blood and may have reasoned that something was injured. The fox was probably interested in eating some injured animal.
2006-07-25 18:43:47 · answer #3 · answered by Bernard B 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Good postings! Dogs, wolves, coyotes, wild dogs and dingos can and do interbreed. They are all canines. The Australian cattle dog is a "purebred" that is really mostly Dingo (I own one). Many people have wolf/German shepherd crosses --these sorts of semi-wild dogs are ONLY appropriate for very experienced dog owners!
Coyotes "take over" where mankind has killed off the wolves --there are coyotes in 49 states (they haven't swum to Hawaii yet). They interbreed with dogs so there are some PACKS of LARGE coyotes out there now. The only certain way to get rid of them is reintroduce the wolf. Because wolves are less likely to scavange and less likely to spread disease, I generally favor retintroduction of the wolf --but try to explain this to a rancher!
Foxes (vulpes) might possibly be able to have sex with some dogs --but there are no offspring, the genetic difference is insurmountable.
Dogs, foxes and CATS are all distantly related if you go back tens of millions of years --a weird idea until you think about the hyena, something of a genetic survivor.
2006-07-25 13:43:58 · answer #4 · answered by urbancoyote 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, they are not the same genus, and cannot interbreed. A dog has 78 chromosomes, while a fox only has 38. This high mismatch of genetic material is an insurmountable barrier for reproduction. Even those "doxes" that have claimed to exist have been proved false (or remained unverified).
2006-07-25 13:02:05 · answer #5 · answered by michelsa0276 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They are not in the same genus. Fox is Vulpes while Dos is Canis. But dogs and foxes are in the same family Canidae, so they can interbreed.
2006-07-25 13:41:58 · answer #6 · answered by k9 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, they are not, dogs belong to the geunus Canis, their latin name being Canis familiaris, the domestic dog. This genus also includes the wolves, the coyotes and other typical dogs.
The fox belongs to the genus Vules, its full latin name being Vulpes vulpes. They are seperate from many other dog species, this is mostly due to the arangement of their teeth.
They are however all part of the same kingdom, phylum, class,family.
2006-07-25 13:09:32 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
No and even if they did it would be very, very rare.
The domestic dog has the scientific name is Canis lupus. There are several different genus' of foxes.
2006-07-25 13:39:46 · answer #8 · answered by fieldworking 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. Fox is of the genus Vulpes, dogs are Canis familiaris (and wolves are Canis lupus, so they could interbreed).
2006-07-25 13:01:52 · answer #9 · answered by mlamb56 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, foxes actually have a different number of chromosomes than house-dogs, so mating would be impossible. The are, however, in the same family when referring to their classification (Canidae).
2006-07-25 13:01:33 · answer #10 · answered by JEFF 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋