If evolution can not accrue Why is it that different species of animal can interbred?

Question

Dog and Wolf interbred. Dog is known to have evolved from the wolf. House cat and bob cat interbreed. thought to have had a common ancestor. Horse and Donkey interbreed a sigh of a common ancestor. Lion and tiger have been interbread others with common ancestors. I would imagine there are hundreds of different species with common ancestors which could interbread and produce live viable offspring. You notice I have carefully avoided mentioning man and monkey but who knows?

Answer 1

But man eating a monkey produces AIDS.

Notice, too, how many of those interbreedings, such as the mule, result in sterile offspring incapable of reproducing themselves. Apparently they have the right connections and genes to reproduce living offspring, just not naturally occurring offspring capable of perpetuating themselves.

Answer 2

The problem is in your definition.
Horses and Donkeys produce sterile offspring. The general definition of a species consists of animals that can breed together and produce fertile offspring. (Lions and Tigers also produce sterile offspring)
There are a few species that were called species in the past (before DNA testing) that we still call species because we biologists are lazy. The canids are a big one. Wolves share more DNA with some breeds of domestic dog than some domestic dog breeds share with other domestic god breeds. Honest biologists probably can be forced to admit that wolves are basically another variety of plain old dog.
Housecats are the same way. There is a species of wildcat called felis silvestris silvestris which can breed freely with felis silvestris domesticus, which is cute little Fluffy over there.
There are a few distinct differences between the two in patterns and behaviors, but they are *really* just subspecies, not distinct species...
In short, if it can interbreed and produce fertile offspring, it's not a different species....


A more rigorous question for those that find evolution to be spurious might be why we can witness it over time....
http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/060713_darwin_finch.html
We can even manipulate it. Most people who have taken a college genetics course have probably done so in the lab with things like yeast and fruitflies, who can have thousands of generations in the time it takes for a human to carry a child to full term.


By the way...I think you meant "Occur" (Happen) not accrue (build up, like interest)

Answer 3

Everything you have mentioned Betty are interspecies, they are within the Family-- and the dog, wolf, etc are subspecies of said Family (breed)

A different species interbreeding is said dog and a cat. That can not occur because they are not within the same Family genus.

I think your question is an excellent question and took some thought. Sorry to say that the misunderstanding of what the term 'species' is.

Not to gross you out, but since you made a point of NOT mentioning human/monkey interbreeding ;) I will state that there is scientific evidence of sexual relations between these two species. Not the greatest thought I know. However what has occurred is illnesses from primate to human, and that is what we call 'jumped the barrier' --the species barrier. Known 'jumpers' are Ebola virus, (only type II), swine flu, and the now dreaded avian flu is making it's rounds (not to say that swine and bird 'relations' occurred...just giving examples).

Have a terrific day! And again thank you for taking the time to ask an intelligent question, so nice to see around here in Y!A.
Have a great day!

edited to clarify.

Answer 4

It should be pointed out that in the example of the horse and donkey, the result is a mule, which is sterile. I am not aware if the result of a lion and tiger would be fertile.

The farther apart they are the less likely it will be that the offspring is fertile.

You are correct, the fact that breeding is possible at all is the result of a close common ancestor.

It has often been wondered if the Neanderthals (Homo Sapien Neanderthalis) simply merged with Homo Sapiens, but many have also stated that their offspring would probably be sterile.

I can't believe Yahoo xxxx out the H word lol

Answer 5

Men and monkeys actually can't. Nor can men and the Great Apes.

It's to do with how far apart they are within the clade. Dogs and wolves are actually "ring species" in other words, the separation is physical rather than genetic. Cats are similar, indicating a fairly recent separation.

Horses and donkeys can interbreed, producig viable young, but the young are sterile. Correct, the common ancestor is probbly further back.

Answer 6

Do you even understand evolution? At least when I troll against Christians I have the decency to read and understand the bible. Edit: Since this question seems legit, I will honestly answer it. Evolution is the process of selective forces choosing the most fit types of species to survive. Evolution is three parts: A.) a mutation occurs B.) The mutation causes a change in the species which ultimately gives it the advantage in surviving. C.) This new species survives and passes along it's genes. One selective force is environment; eg; hot/cold. Species that live in these environments will adapt to better survive in these environments, thus leading to diverse species. (There are many more reasons other then climate, it is just the easiest to explain).

Answer 7

Man and monkey cannot interbreed. The evolutionists never said man came from monkeys! They say that we evolved from 'ape like animals' Forget the monkeys thing - it is just a story invented by religions to discredit and lie about what evolution is all about. I know that monkeys also evolved from "ape like animals" but that does not mean it was from the same ape like animal that man evolved from (no one knows). And even if it was, their evolution took an obviously different course.

Answer 8

you should do more research. this is a stupid question. When a horse and donkey interbreed, the offspring is sterile...its called a mule and it is good for nothing except working to death. Dog is not "Known" to evolve from wolf. If a dog evolved from wolf, how come wolves still exist. in fact, if anything involved from anything, how come the original still exists. to suggest that something has evolve is to suggest that the original is no longer around and has been replaced by a better or more adapted species.
Of course dogs and wolves can interbreed......same as chinese and americans can interbreed.....just because there are slight differences in their DNA doesn't make them different species alltogether.
Basically what you are saying is that we all evolved from something else....so I guess the monkeys that are around today are going to be humans in 2000 years...so what will that make the humans?
You have obviously asked this question without having done your research.

Answer 9

Call me insane, but I think that it is possible that some person has tried to breed with a monkey. It's just that -- there are crazy people in this world, and I would not be surprised. What's it called? Bestiality? or something like that. So, I think it could have possibly happened.

But yes, also, like someone else said, the mule cannot usually reproduce itself.

However, I am not even sure as to what your question is... So, I just gave you some thoughts.

Answer 10

All the pairings you mentioned are between members of the same genus. Not all produce viable offspring.

If you want to mate with a monkey, go ahead. Just don't tells us about it.