Can a fox mat with a dog or wolf?

Answer 1

Most people will answer "no." However, to throw an interesting thought to this question... I have some very old dog magazines. One of these, from I believe 1900, has a picture of a stuffed dog/fox mix. It definitely looks like a cross between a dog and a fox. The caption said that it had a strong fox odor. I don't think it was pure fox.

Wolves, coyotes, jackals and domestic dogs have 78 chromosomes. The red fox has 38 and the fennec fox has 64. A Wikipedia article claims that a "dox" is not possible.

My thinking is that they can almost never mate, but also rarely ever have the inclination to do so. But I think once in a blue moon, a mating is successful. Just as once in a blue moon a mule is fertile.

And Poppy: Yes, once in "blue moon", mules are fertile. See wikipedia article below (second one).

Answer 2

My answer is no. If you threw them all together into a pin straight out of the wild the wolf or dog would kill the fox, and probably the dog and wolf would duke it out. Depending on the dogs breed and temperament the wolf would probably kill the dog. I know a guy who raises exotic animals that people get and can't keep. He lives on the edge of my county, and he has everything from deer, racoons, squirrels, wolves, cyotes, foxes, a declawed 10 year old tiger, and a load of pythons and boas. He basically tries to reintroduce the native animals, but obviously the tiger, snakes, and wolves can't be released in Ohio. He would tell you the same thing I did. These animals may be in the same family, but the don't get along at all. The wolves hate cyotes, dogs and foxes. The coyotes hate foxes, and dogs. The dogs hate all the above. Why do you think there are so many cases of cyotes killing and eating dogs?

Answer 3

Good question. I'm sure you are referring to the Red Fox. Red foxes are members of the dog family Canidae, and their general appearance is similar to dogs, wolves, and coyotes. Dogs and wolves are from the Canine family. The scent that triggers the mating behavior does not cross species. Animals are driven by instinct. Red Fox is monogamous during the breeding season. And a breeding pair can remain together for years. Wolves also mate for life.

In the genus Canis (Dogs, wolves, jackals, and coyotes) the number of chromosomes is 78 in all known species, so no physical barrier to interbreeding exists in terms of chromosome segregation. Nonetheless, some rather extreme physical barriers due to size (wolves vs foxes) and behavior (pack vs. solitary) exist, which maintain the separation of species in the wild. As for sequence divergence, the gray wolf (the putative ancestor of domestic dogs) is about 1.8% divergent from dogs, while coyotes are about 4% difference.

I once lived in a wilderness are and had a Great Dane in heat. A large male coyote was trying to get into the kennel to breed to her. He was trying to dig under the fence and I had no doubt that he would have bred her had he got in, and had I not scared him off with a shot gun.

So the question is not really whether species do interbreed, but whether they can interbreed under artificial conditions.

According to Gray (Mammalian Hybrids, a checklist with bibliography, 1954) all species in the genus Canis have been known to hybridize in captivity. I'm reporting this secondhand, as I can't find Gray locally, but the source seems reputable. Thus, a dog-coyote hybrid is feasible. As for the foxes, they are at an approximately 8% sequence divergence, and only have 34 chromosomes, so a dog-fox hybrid probably isn't viable. Posted By: Christopher Carlson, Senior Fellow, Dept. of Molecular Biotechnology. Area of science: Genetics

The red fox has several natural enemies: man (principally as trappers), wolves, coyotes, lynx, wolverines, and perhaps bears. I'd think wolves and coyotes would want to eat the lowly fox instead of reproduce.

Hopes this answers your question.

Answer 4

No a fox cannot mate with a dog or a wolf. The fox (vulpes vulpes) is a species. The wolf (canis lupus) is a species. The domestic dog (canis lupus familiaris) is a sub-species of the wolf. Animals of a different species cannot mate and have viable offspring. Mating among sub-species can have viable offspring.

PS. Mules are never fertile.

Answer 5

No,the fox has a different number of chromosomes,so they cannot create offspring with dogs or wolves.

No,that is not the reason.This is from Wikipedia.

(Note: It may be that foxes cannot hybridize with dogs but, as crosses between horses and zebras demonstrate, differences in chromosome number are not the reason. Viable hybrids between species are possible regardless of chromosome number differences provided the gene combination in the hybrid allows for embryonic development to birth. Large differences in chromosome number, however, would make hybrid bitches so poorly fertile as to be essentially sterile. Male hybrids would be sterile due to a phenomenon called Haldane's Rule. The lack of genetically verified fox/dog hybrids indicates that viable embryos are not formed.)

Oh,and I saw where a Mule gave birth to a foal last week! It was adorable.I'll try to find a link to the story.
here it is.

http://www.elektrik-sheep.com/story/EpFFVlulypVxshdTkV.shtml

Answer 6

I don't know for sure. However, I do know that Coyotes and dogs have been known to mate. It is very, very rare though, because nature tells coyotes, fox, etc. that domestic dogs are danger. So unless the dog was living as a wild dog, the probability is slight.

Answer 7

Yep I had a wolf husky mix so I know the wolf can maybe the fox to since there in the dog family

Answer 8

No, the genoma is completely different, and the anatomy too.

Answer 9

Not really. A few varieties maybe.

Answer 10

yes they already have these animals but they still have a wild side