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Felid hybrids

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A number of hybrids between various felid species are possible. This article deals with hybrids between the smaller felid species and those between smaller felids and Panthera species. For hybrids between two Panthera species (lions, tigers, jaguars and leopards), see Panthera hybrid.

Servical/caraval

A servical is a cross between a male serval and a female caracal. The first servicals were bred accidentally when the two animals were housed together in the Los Angeles Zoo. The offspring were tawny with pale spots. If a female servical is crossed to a male caracal, the result is a car-servical; if she is crossed to a male serval, the result is a serservical.

A male caracal crossed with a female serval is called a caraval. [citation needed]

Margay/oncilla hybrid

There were attempts to breed the oncilla or little spotted cat (Leopardus tigrinus) with the margay (Leopardus wiedii) by Dutch breeder Mme Falken-Rohrle in the 1950s. These appear to have been unsuccessful.[1]

Marlot

The marlot is a hybrid between a male margay and female ocelot (Leopardus pardalis). In May 1977, the Long Island Ocelot Club (LIOC) announced the birth of a marlot bred by Barbara Brocks using captive-bred parents. There was no description of the marlot, but the parent species both have rosetted or marbled patterns on a sandy background. [2]

Blynx (lynxcat)

The blynx or lynxcat is a hybrid of a bobcat (Lynx rufus) and one or other species of Lynx. The appearance of the offspring depends on which lynx species is used, as the European (Spanish) lynx (Lynx pardinus) is more heavily spotted than Canadian lynx (Lynx canadensis) or Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx). These hybrids have been bred in captivity and also occur naturally where a lynx or bobcat cannot find a member of its own species for mating.

In August 2003, two wild-occurring hybrids between wild Canadian lynx and bobcats were confirmed by DNA analysis in the Moosehead region of Maine, USA. Three hybrids were identified in northeastern Minnesota. These were the first confirmed hybrids outside of captivity. Mitochondrial DNA studies showed them all to be the result of matings between female lynx and male bobcats. A male lynx-bobcat hybrid was trapped in 1998, radio-collared and released, only to die of starvation. The female hybrid was fertile. In November 2003, a spotted lynxcat was observed in Illinois, 500 miles (800 km) from normal lynx territory, but it may have been an escaped hybrid pet.

The hybrids closely resembled bobcats with larger bodies and smaller feet, but had some lynx-like features: long ear tufts and almost completely black-tipped tails. The Canadian lynx is a protected species in 14 US states constituting the southern part of its historic range, but the hybrids are not protected and are shot by hunters. Some of the odd-looking cats may be colour morphs of either bobcats or lynx rather than hybrids. This poses the danger that protected lynx are being killed.

Euro-chaus

The Euro-chaus is a man-made hybrid between the European wildcat (F. silvestris) and the swamp or jungle cat (F. chaus). It should not be confused with the Euro-chausie, which is a cross between the domestic Chausie breed and a European wildcat.

Jungle lynx

A jungle lynx is a hybrid between the jungle cat and bobcat, bred as an exotic pet. Later generations can include domestic genes, as they may be crossed to Savannah, Egyptian Mau, Serengeti, Desert Lynx and Pixie Bob domestic breeds.

Ocelot-cougar hybrids

The cougar (Puma concolor) has 38 chromosomes, whereas the ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) has only 36 chromosomes. Nevertheless, ocelot-cougar hybrids were reported by G Dubost & J Royere in 1993 in "Zoo Biology 12". The parents were a captive male ocelot and a captive female puma sharing an enclosure in a private collection in French Guiana. They had shared their enclosure since 1986 and had been raised together. The ocelot is one-third the size of the cougar, but the pair produced four litters of hybrid offspring between 1990 and 1992 and possibly an earlier litter in 1989.

In September 1989, the 3.5-year-old cougar appeared to be pregnant, but was assumed to have miscarried. In May 1990, she gave birth to three hybrid cubs (two males and a female), which all died within a day due to lack of maternal care. In October 1990, she produced a male and a female cub, which were hand-reared, but both died between five and 12 days old due to lack of suitable milk formula. In 1991, three female hybrid cubs were born, but failed to survive. In 1992, a fourth litter was born, but were eaten by the mother.

The body size of the cubs was intermediate between cougar cubs and ocelot cubs. Their spot patterns bore more resemblance to the ocelot than to the juvenile pattern of a cougar. The markings were similar to that of an ocelot but with less continuous on the back and with less pronounced throat/belly markings. The backs of their legs were darker and unspotted (a cougar-like trait) and they had ringed tails.

A subsequent cub born in French Guiana apparently survived. The adult female ocelot/cougar hybrid is shown here, labelled as "Ocema".

Domestic cat and hybridization

The domesticated form of the African wildcat, known as F. silvestris catus, has been hybridized with several wild felid species. These are sometimes called feral-domestic hybrids. This is a misnomer because feral refers to a domesticated animal species which has reverted to living in the wild. The correct term is artificial or domestic/wild hybrids.

Confirmed domestic cat/felid hybrids

Some pairings have given rise to more than one breed developed under different registries and bred to different standards for appearance and different percentages of wild felid genes. They are therefore different breeds, not synonyms.

  • Bengal: domestic cat/Asian leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis bengalensis)
  • Bristol: domestic cat/margay (Leopardus wiedii)
  • Chausie: domestic cat/jungle cat (Felis chaus)
  • Stone cougar: domestic cat/jungle cat
  • Cheetoh: Bengal/ocicat
  • Jungle-bob: Pixie-bob/jungle cat
  • Jungle-curl: Hemingway Curl (polydactyl x American Curl)/jungle cat
  • Machbagral or Viverral: domestic cat/fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus)
  • Pantherette: Pixie-bob/Asian leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis)
  • Punjabi: domestic cat /Indian desert-cat (a variety of Asiatic wildcat - Felis s. ornata)
  • Safari: domestic cat/Geoffroy's cat (Leopardus geoffroyii)
  • Savannah: domestic cat (including Bengal)/serval (Leptailurus serval)
  • Serengeti: Bengal/Oriental Shorthair (solid-coloured Siamese)
  • Toyger: domestic cat/Bengal
  • Ussuri: domestic cat/Amur Asian leopard cat (Prionailurus b. euptailura)
  • Domestic cat/caracal (accidental, Moscow Zoo, 1998)
  • Domestic cat/oncilla (little spotted cat or tiger cat)
  • Domestic Cat / black-footed cat (F. nigripes)
  • Domestic cat/rusty-spotted cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus) (wild-occurring hybrids, India)

Hybrid breed/wild felid

  • Afro-Chausie (proposed name): Chausie/African wildcat
  • Euro-Chausie: Chausie/European wildcat
  • Scottie-Chausie (proposed name): Chausie/Scottish wildcat (F. s. grampia)

Attempted or unconfirmed hybrids

  • Mandalan jaguar (proposed name): domestic cat/jaguarundi (Puma yagouaroundi)
  • Domestic cat/Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis)
  • Domestic cat/bobcat (Lynx rufus): There are reports of bobcats breeding with domestic cats, but such matings have never been successful because the two species are not interfertile. [3]
  • Domestic cat/Pallas cat (Otocolobus manul)

Domestic cats have not been hybridized with ocelots. An offspring of an ocelot female (born August 2007), believed to have been sired by a domestic Bengal male, is awaiting genetic analysis.

The Jaguarundi Curl is not a Jaguarundi hybrid. It is a short-legged domestic breed developed from REFR's Highland Lynx breed.

Ocecat/ocicat

The ocecat or ocicat is not a hybrid between a domestic cat and an ocelot. It is derived from Siamese and Abyssinian domestic breeds of cat and gets its name from its markings which resemble the spotted markings of an ocelot.

American lynx, desert lynx, alpine lynx and highland lynx

The Desert Lynx and American Lynx breeds were originally claimed as bobcat hybrids with around 12.5% wild genes. In spite of their bobcat-like appearance, DNA testing failed to detect bobcat marker genes, and these cats are now considered wholly domestic for the purposes of ownership, cat fancy registration, and import and export laws. This parallels the case of the Pixie-bob in that foundation cats in the breed were speculated to be bobcat-domestic cat hybrids. The "Lynx" breed group expanded with the derivative Alpine Lynx and Highland Lynx breeds.

See also

References

  1. ^ Fernand Mery "The life, history and magic of the cat" 1967
  2. ^ Newsletter, Long Island Ocelot Club, May 1977
  3. ^ http://www.messybeast.com/small-hybrids/rufus-lynx-hybrids.htm
  • I Kusminych & A Pawlowa ("Ein Bastard von Karakal Hauskatze im Moskauer Zoo" in Der Zoologische Garten Vol. 68, No. 4 (1998)) (A Hybrid of Caracal and House Cat in Moscow Zoo).
  • Paul Leyhausen (Oncilla x domestic cat hybrids)
  • Mike Tomkies, "Wildcats" (and various other works regarding Scottish Wildcats)
  • Frances Pitt, "Wild Animals in Britain" (1939) (Scottish Wildcat hybrids)
  • Edward Hamilton, 1896 (Scottish Wildcat hybrids)
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