Is it possible for humans to reproduce with other animals?

Question

I suppose that it might be too much of a stretch to imagine whether or not a human could reproduce with a fish, but how about other mammals?

Would it be possible to impregnate a human with biological material from a horse?

How about other members of the biological family Hominidae? Could we impregnate an orangutan, a gorilla, or a chimpanzee with human seed? Could we impregnate a human with the seed of a chimp?

Even if it the offspring were not able to reproduce, what would we get?

For example, lions and tigers can reproduce and form a LIGER.

Also, mules are horse-donkey hybrids.

Why haven't we seen human-(other animal) hybrids yet?

If somehow there are records of such creatures existing that I am unaware of, please direct me to the place where I can partake of this fascinating information.

also, I have no interest in sexual activity with animals or creating my own human-animal hybrid.

However, I am very interested in learning about human-animal hybrids.

here are some fascinating links I have found since posting this question.
I hope to receive more thoughtful responses.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=1006022414529
http://news.monstersandcritics.com/northamerica/article_1094282.php/Bush_speech_sparks_human-animal_hybrid_craze
http://readthehook.com/stories/2004/12/01/essayparahumansDoChimphuma.html
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/01/0125_050125_chimeras.html

Answer 1

A reproductive barrier is any factor that will not allow the production of a fertile hybrid. These factors can be classified as prezygotic (barriers that impede mating) and postzygotic (barriers that prevent a hybrid zygote from developing).

Prezygotic Barriers:

1. Habitat Isolation. Two species may live in the same area but in different habitats. Living in these different habitats ( in water, living on land, or living in tree tops) effectively segregate these organisms from each other. Since there is little if any contact the possibility of successfully mating is drastically reduced.

2. Temporal Isolation. Two species that breed at different times of the day, season, or year cannot mix their gametes. Since the breeding times are different there is no chance of reproductive contact.

3. Behavioral Isolation. Species-specific signals and elaborate behavioral patterns are used by closely related species to insure contact with the proper mate. Birds, mammals, and insects have pre-mating rituals that attract the proper mate. These signals can be chemical or physical in nature. Other organisms pay little or no attention to these behaviors or scents.

4. Mechanical Isolation. Anatomical incompatibility may prevent sperm transfer between two closely related species. The absence of certain appendages or their modification may inhibit a male from grasping and successfully fertilizing the female. Difference in floral structure may prevent pollen from reaching the stigma of the intended flower.

5. Gametic Isolation. If for some reason foreign sperm is introduced into a female there are several preventative measures to insure that there is no union between the sperm and egg. Internal environmental conditions may cause the sperm to die. Gamete recognition sites on the sperm do not fit with the intended egg. If the two species differ in the type of fertilization (external and internal) there is no chance of the sperm ever contacting the egg.



Postzygotic Barriers: If prezygotic barriers are crossed and a hybrid zygote forms, one of several barriers will prevent development of a viable, fertile hybrid.

1. Reduced Hybrid Viability. Genetic incompatibilities between the species may abort the development of the hybrid during some stage of development. Difference in chromosome number may cause abnormal cell division. Since the chromosomes align to insure equal distribution upon cytokinesis, abnormal chromosome counts could occur based on this numerical difference.

2. Reduced Hybrid Fertility. If two species mate and produce a viable offspring, these offspring will be sterile due to the misalignment of the chromosome number. During gametogenesis the odd number of chromosomes makes it impossible for viable gametes to be produced by meiosis.

3. Hybrid Breakdown. In some cases a fertile hybrid is produced. When these hybrids mate with each other, their offspring of the next generation are feeble or sterile.

Introgression:

Introgression is the transplantation of genes between species. This occurs when alleles slip through all zygotic barriers. This occurs when two species hybridize and a small number of the offspring manage to mate with the general population. This occurs in plants more so than in animals.



Geographical Isolation:

Geographic isolation plays an important role in species development and maintenance. There are two categories of this type of isolation: allopatric speciation and sympatric speciation. These relationships deal with the contact of the new species with that of its ancestral species.

1. Allopatric Speciation. This type of speciation is produced when a physical barrier separated a species into two separate areas and does not allow any further contact. Mountain building, glacial movement, river boundary movement, etc. are examples of geographical situations that can divide up a single species into two distance areas. When the species is split, microevolution will cause changes in the species to make them different in phenotype. Small populations have a much better chance to develop into a new species than larger populations. These small populations usually occur on the edges of a larger population. These fringe populations are good candidates for speciation. Their gene pool differs from the parent population, genetic drift will continue to cause chance changes in the gene pool of small populations until a larger population is formed. Different selection pressures are at work on there peripheral populations. Adaptive radiation is the evolution of many diversely adapted species from a common ancestor. Geographical isolation lends itself to this type of new species development.

2. Sympatric Speciation. This is a type of speciation that develops within the range of the parent population. This type of speciation does not include geographical isolation. It can occur rapidly if a genetic change results in a barrier between the mutants and the parent population.

a). Autopolyploid. An organism has more than two chromosome sets. This can occur due to nondisjunction in either mitosis or meiosis or self-fertilization.

b). Allopolyploid. A polyploid hybrid resulting from contributions by two different species. This is more common than autopolyploidy. These are usually sterile hybrids, but can reproduce asexually.

Answer 2

It is not impossible but highly unlikely, there are several crosses that occur a mule for instance. but the reason humans can't reproduce with other species is because the alleles on the chromosomes won't line up, our 1 chromosome controls a certain set of functions will the 1 chromosome controls something else, also each species has a certain number of chromosomes we have 48 (2n) other animals could have more or less, this miss matched paring would not produce viable offspring, most hybrids are sterile

Answer 3

nope not possible, and I really don't care to find out if it could work.
I'm reasonably certain human DNA/RNA would make it impossible
to say impregnate a woman with a chimp. I mean there are all sorts
of complex chemical/organic nomenclature to consider.

Answer 4

i do not have proof of this but I have heard of a human chimp hybrid being born in a zoo in the first half of the 20th century. it is a rumor. I have no proof. i do not know why I am puting this up but you can if you try, mabe find non-concrete evidence of what I am talking about

Answer 5

im nt sure if we cld it in present..as for the technologyis concern. bt y not, maybe in the future, it wld b possible too. bt one ques, y do we need to reproduce chimerics?? another thing tht jst taken into consideration, y must we increase the world population? maybe we aren't gonna produce a huge number but wht kinda outcome wld it be whn we produce even one hybrid.

Answer 6

Not any more, sorry. We're too far removed from the other apes to be able to reproduce with them. This is fortunate. Orang-utans do rape women.

Answer 7

Nothing. Humans and animals can not reproduce.

Answer 8

No. our DNA is entirely different from other species that it is impossible to reproduce..

The link below will provide you with your answer

www.slate.com/id/2153600

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Answer 9

Ten to life.

Answer 10

quit ******* animals, it is scientifically impossible to pregnate another species again stop ******* animals