If you know anything about mythology, you know it's full of crazy combinations of animals, like horses with wings and people with fishtails. Fascinating stuff, but definitely not real.
And today, thanks to digital imaging technology, people can make any kind of bizarre animal mixture they want, with pretty amazing, but firmly fictional results.
But in fact, there truly are unique animal combinations in our world, made up of two different animals — and they're not only gorgeous, but incredibly rare!
Some of these hybrids are naturally occurring — while other breeds are arranged by humans. These mainly include livestock animals, which are deliberately bred to harness the best traits of two animals — with mixed and sometimes unexpected results.
Check out some of these incredible hybrid animals below, and see if you can tell what their parentage is before reading the captions.
Which of these combinations is your favorite? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
(H/T: BoredPanda)
1. Coywolf
Coyotes and red and eastern wolves are very closely related, and so they can not only reproduce, but do so regularly.
These hybrids are becoming more common in the U.S., particularly in the East, as wolf populations are making a comeback.
Coywolves come in a variety of combinations, but most are larger than a coyote but smaller than a wolf, and share the behaviors of both.
2. Wholphin
Although the name suggests the combination of a whale and a dolphin, wholphins are actually a combination of two different dolphin species.
A female dolphin and a male false killer whale (which, despite the name, is in the dolphin family) are needed to produce a wholphin.
Wholphins are extremely rare, and there is only one in captivity today.
3. Leopon
Some hybrids are named based on which of its parents is which species. If a leopard dad breeds with a lioness mom, it's called a leopon.
A lion and a leopard would never get the chance to meet in the wild, since they live in different places, so all leopons have been the product of captive breeding.
4. Geep
A geep, which has probably the best name on this list, is the product of a sheep and a goat.
You might think goats and sheep are pretty similar, but they're different enough that producing a live offspring is very, very rare.
Most geep attempts result in stillbirth, although researchers have had success by artificially combining goat and sheep embryos.
5. Grolar Bear
Or is that a pizzly?
Like the Narlugas, these polar bear and grizzly hybrids may be becoming more common as cold-climate animals find the need to adapt to rising temperatures.
But still, most of these bears live in zoos, as the polar and grizzly habitats haven't crossed (yet). There have only been a few sightings in the wild, including one in 2006 by a hunter.
6. Beefalo
Beefalo were first developed in the 1800s and called "cattalo." These bigger, thicker cattle do less damage to the prairie land they graze on, which is good.
What's not good, though, is that the hybrid poses a threat to the purity of buffalo populations because they can intermingle so easily. From a biodiversity standpoint, that's not good.
7. Cama
This unassuming creature was actually created in a lab by scientists in Dubai. It's a cross between a llama and a camel, created by artificial insemination.
The idea behind the cama was that it could be used as a beast of burden, like camels, but could also produce wool that could be shorn and turned into clothing, like a llama. Only five have ever been created.
8. Narluga
Narwhals and belugas are the only two members of their family, so they share many traits. They can interbreed, but it's rare.
At least, it was more rare. Scientists are seeing an increase in these hybrids, which they see as a sign of a warming Arctic region and a grim look at climate change.
9. Savannah Cat
Servals are wild cats that live in Africa, but if you mix them with a house cat, you get these, which can live as pets — if you have the money to shell out for one.
Behaviorally, they're a lot like dogs, complete with following humans around and wagging their tails.
They also like water, which means they've been known to hop in the shower with their surprised humans.
10. Zebroid
Depending on what the zebra mates with, these animals can be called zonkeys, zebonkey, zebadonkeys, zonies, zorses, zebrinnies, and zebrets.
Whatever ridiculous name you call it, it means the combination of a zebra and a horse or donkey.
They usually have the body shape of the non-zebra parent, but turn up with fashionable stripes on various parts of their bodies.
Like mules (which are a combination of donkeys and horses), they're typically sterile.
11. Tigon
A male tiger and a lioness make a tigon, which are as big as their parents, but smaller than their opposites, the liger.
They can produce offspring, unlike zebroids, and sport stripes and manes.
12. Liger
The liger is the offspring of a male lion and a female tiger, and they grow to be bigger than both parents. Which is really big. The largest liger, Hercules, weighed 922 pounds!
Like tigons, they only exist in captivity, as lions and tigers would not encounter one another in the wild.
What do you think of these hybrids? Are they incredible, or a little too weird for you?
Let us know in the comments. And SHARE with your animal-loving friends!
