My best friend and I are having this argument...he thinks that different species can interbreed. I disagree. I don't think cats and dogs, or elephants and giraffes, or humans and monkeys, or any other combination can actually interbreed BUT he thinks otherwise. Is there proof to support which of us is correct??
2006-12-21 11:05:16 · 5 answers · asked by yankeesfn02 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
There will be no convincing your friend about this - he has a set mind about it, but also he has no education about biology, so unless you want to go to the trouble to 1. get him to agree and promise to learn and 2. teach him biology, forget convincing him.
Certain very, very close species can interbreed, such as donkeys and horses, which will give you mules. Also, they have caused lions and tigers to interbreed in zoos. But the offspring are all sterile. And in the wild, their normal environment, they don't bother with each other if they even encounter each other.
Other than the few species that are nearly identical anyway, no you can't mate a cat and a dog, humans and monkeys, etc. Their genetic material is too far apart.
2006-12-21 11:16:24 · answer #1 · answered by sonyack 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Scientists have the same argument because 'species' is a concept that is not easily defined. The biological definition of a species is most often based on breeding behavior in the wild. A species is generally defined as a reproductively isolated group of organisms that can actually or potentially inetrbreed and produce fertile offspring. So, some closely-related species could interbreed if the barrier seperating them were removed, but unrelated species like a dog and a giraffe could never interbreed - not even with genetic manipulation.
In general, species that belong to the same genus are likely to be capable of interbreeding if the reproductive barrier is removed, while species that belong to different families are unlikely to interbreed without artificial manipulation.
An example is the spotted owl on the West Coast of the US and the barred owl in the Eastern US. Barred owls are expanding into the range of spotted owls, and they are starting to interbreed where they mix. Given this behavior, some scientists argue that the barred owl and spotted owl are not really different species since they interbreed. Others argue that they are different species because they were once reproductively isolated and they have developed different food preferences, mating behavior and prefer slightly different habitats.
Does this disagreement look familar to you?
2006-12-22 12:49:57 · answer #2 · answered by formerly_bob 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
"species" is a weasel word. Humans invented it. Zoology could care less how we classify it. It does its own thing, and we're stuck with trying to classify it.
No zoologist in the world would say that lions and tigers are the same species. But they can interbreed to make ligers and tigons (that wasn't made up on Napoleon Dynamite - there are hundreds of ligers in the world). Horses and donkeys can be interbreed to make mules....either ginny or hinny mules depending on how you cross them.
Now......you might argue that ligers, tigons, ginnies, and hinnies are sterile and can't reproduce. So therefore, the species rule sticks. The problem is.....
there are examples of species which can interbreed to produce viable offspring. Every biologist would classify whitetail deer and mule deer as separate species. But they can and do reproduce and the offspring are viable hybrids that can also reproduce where the habitats overlap. So much for a great definition of species. There are also other examples, such as a rassenkreis, or circle of races. Arctic terns around the north pole vary going west to east. On either side of the Atlantic they can't breed, but everywhere else along the continuum they can. Are they all one species?
As I said previously, the definition of a species is a weasel definition. We're the ones with the issue. Mother nature does what it does, and could care less about our classification schemes.
2006-12-21 19:18:38 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
sterility is not 100% though it is almost certain, and you can mix/match many closely related species. lions, tigers, pumas, etc can be breed with some very beautiful results. mules are the most obvious hybrid animal. and of course, dog/wolf mixes are very very common as well. 'blood oranges' are actually oranges mixed with grape fruit (i think, though it may be tangerines and grape fruit). you can also grow different species of fruit on the same tree, if you are inclined and have the patience to try it. hahhhaaaa.
2006-12-21 19:24:07 · answer #4 · answered by solitary_avid_traveler 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ever hear of a Liger? Or a mule?
2006-12-21 19:13:11 · answer #5 · answered by Natsif Alphamith 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋