Interbreading between foxes and dogs???

clivej

I was out stalking yesterday and was walking in a field along the forest edge-line. Out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of a fox running, 100m off, midway down the field into a hedgerow. No amount of calling would stop or turn it.

BUT what did appear over the rise in the field was what I first thought was a very big fox, it had been running with the fox.

It came up to within 30y from me and I had it in my sights all ready to drop it. It had the colouring of a fox but not the bushy tail and no white creast on its chest. The head was fox like but a bit hound like as well. It stood about 4" taller than the normal fox and had a bigger body size. It didn't seem to be afraid of me and would come back to the call, sucking on my thumb-nail, each time.

Could it have been a fox/dog cross?????

Pokes

I dont think a fox can interbreed with a dog , something to do with a different amount of chromosones.

mathepac

Dogs, 78 chromosomes -vs- 34 for foxes, making a viable embryo a very remote possibility. Some experts appear to talk about "doxes", a dog / fox hybrid, as real things but I've never seen a photo or other evidence. It might be possible for two dogs to produce fox-like off-spring or vice versa but you'd need geneticists to comment on that authoritatively.

andrew dickenson

i have heard a similar story to this, aparantely there is a farmer in wicklow with a dog/fox cross

landkeeper

as said different number of chromosomes so it is not possible

If you look up the experiment by Dmitri Belyaev foxes offspring became more like dogs if bred according to how tame they are.

I have seen dogs that look very like foxes but I think it's just a coincidence.

Birdnuts

As the lads said, very doubtfull - 2 totally different Genus ie. dog(Canis) and Fox(Vulpis). It would be the equivalent of a human humping a gorilla and bringing up the offspring:eek::P;)

PersonalJesus

fogs or doxes though?

EPointer=Birdss

Birdnuts wrote: »

It would be the equivalent of a human humping a gorilla and bringing up the offspring:eek::P;)

Too many jokes spring to mind

Tackleberrywho

Same reason Sika can't breed with fallow.

mathepac

Dogs can breed with wolves (wolves are dogs) and presumably coyotes, dingoes, etc but I'm not sure about hyenas as they seem to be a different species and unrelated to African wild dogs.

Longranger

mathepac wrote: »

Dogs can breed with wolves (wolves are dogs) and presumably coyotes, dingoes, etc but I'm not sure about hyenas as they seem to be a different species and
unrelated to African wild dogs.

Hyenas are more closely related to cats than dogs, believe it or not.

mathepac

Thanks for that. Ye'd probably see more of them out around the wilds of Wesht Mayo than we'd see here in the Sunnyish Sout Easht, so we'd be far from hyena experts now let me tell you, by a long chalk.

Mr.Flibble

Longranger wrote: »

Hyenas are more closely related to cats than dogs, believe it or not.

He's probably thinking of jackals.

Longranger

mathepac wrote: »

Thanks for that. Ye'd probably see more of them out around the wilds of Wesht Mayo than we'd see

here in the Sunnyish Sout Easht, so we'd be far from hyena experts now let me tell you, by a long chalk.

Tis true I tells ya, there was one bonking a muntjac in my garden this morning! The farmers are worried now though, we'll be overrun with deer like creatures that are too small to find and they'll be able to chew through any fencing wire known to man;)

Savage93

andrew dickenson wrote: »

i have heard a similar story to this, aparantely there is a farmer in wicklow with a dog/fox cross

There's always someone who knows a fella who knows Sean Kelly's bike:D:D:D:D:D

Vizzy

Savage93 wrote: »

There's always someone who knows a fella who knows Sean Kelly's bike:D:D:D:D:D

I know Sean Kelly's bike(s).In fact I was cycling on one of them last Monday.

Sika98k

I think some of yez should have yer medication adjusted

Deer Hunter DL

anyone ever see a Dat or a Cog ? now that would be funny

Mellor

Birdnuts wrote: »

As the lads said, very doubtfull - 2 totally different Genus ie. dog(Canis) and Fox(Vulpis). It would be the equivalent of a human humping a gorilla and bringing up the offspring:eek::P;)

I agree its doubtful, they aren't close wnough, different chromosobnes etc.
But animals from different genus can have hybrids together. Cow and buffalo is one (Beefalo)

seanybiker

Humped a few dogs meself over the years. No offspring though thankfully. Seanywoofers?

mathepac

Mellor wrote: »

... But animals from different genus can have hybrids together. Cow and buffalo is one (Beefalo)

Cows and bison (American or European) can have hybrids, but buffalo (African / Asian "water-buffalo" type animals) and cows cannot AFAIK.

Buffalo was the animal shot almost to extinction by Bison Bill Cody & Co. or vice versa.

Birdnuts

Mellor wrote: »

I agree its doubtful, they aren't close wnough, different chromosobnes etc.
But animals from different genus can have hybrids together. Cow and buffalo is one (Beefalo)

There are a few exceptions allright - the bovidea being one. The Canidea and Primates though are pretty rigid when it comes to inability to interbreed outside Genus level. In any case Taxonomy is a science that changes all the time as our knowledge of genomes continues to develope and advance. To the extent that over the years various species have been moved in terms of Genus or put in a totally new Genus of their own.

TriggerPL

PersonalJesus wrote: »

fogs or doxes though?

or you could do like most and cross it with a poodle and have a foxadoodle:D

Mellor

mathepac wrote: »

Cows and bison (American or European) can have hybrids, but buffalo (African / Asian "water-buffalo" type animals) and cows cannot AFAIK.

Buffalo was the animal shot almost to extinction by Bison Bill Cody & Co. or vice versa.

The name "Buffallo" alone normally refers to American or euro Bison. The ones, as you said, nearly shot to extinction by Buffalo Bill. Thats what I refered to.

Water Buffalo, are a different family altogether and not related. They can't have Hybrids.

mathepac

and cross it again with a chicken and you'd have something that barks "Fox-a-doodle Dooo" in the mornings.

garv123

Why didnt you squeeze the trigger and find out?

Mellor

garv123 wrote: »

Why didnt you squeeze the trigger and find out?

Becauce he didn't want to shoot somebodys dog I'd imagine

clivej

garv123 wrote: »

Why didnt you squeeze the trigger and find out?

Mellor wrote: »

Becauce he didn't want to shoot somebodys dog I'd imagine

Correct it could have been the farmers dog and then the permission would be gone:eek:

terminator2

seanybiker wrote: »

Humped a few dogs meself over the years. No offspring though thankfully. Seanywoofers?

humped any gorillas lately seaney :D

garv123

I taught ye might have copped by the big grin face that it was a joke.