Jackal–dog hybrid
A jackal–dog hybrid is a canid hybrid resulting from a mating between a domestic dog and a golden jackal. Such crossbreeding has occurred numerous times in captivity[1][2][3][4] and was first confirmed to occasionally happen in the wild in Croatia in 2015.[5]
Possible constraints
The golden jackal (Canis aureas) is a member of the same genus,
It is conjectured[who?] that the domestic dog and other Canis species cannot hybridise with the two other species that are called "jackals" which are both in the separate Lupulella genus: the side-striped jackal (Lupulella adusta), and the black-backed jackal (Lupulella mesomelas).[citation needed]
Similar matings between golden jackals and grey wolves have never been directly observed, though evidence of such occurrences was discovered through
History
Scottish surgeon and amateur naturalist John Hunter was the first to write an account of the two species' interfertility in 1787. He described how a ship captain of the East India Company adopted a female jackal and had it mated to his spaniel, after which it whelped six pups upon arriving in England. Hunter purchased one of the female hybrid pups and attempted to mate it with several dogs upon reaching maturity. Further crossbreeding experiments were initially hampered by the hybrid female's apparent lack of interest in the dogs brought to it, though it subsequently mated with a terrier and produced five pups.[1]
Charles Darwin wrote of a first-generation hybrid kept in the London Zoo which was completely sterile, though he noted that this was an exceptional case, as first-generation hybrids have been known to reproduce successfully. He criticized Flourens's earlier experiments, noting that the specimens he used were all closely related; thus, their subsequent sterility would have been explainable as a result of inbreeding.[8]
Breeding experiments in Germany with poodles and jackals and later on with the resulting dog–jackal hybrids showed a decrease in fertility and significant communication problems, as well as an increase of genetic diseases after three generations of interbreeding between the hybrids, unlike with wolfdogs, which remain healthy and never become sterile.[9] These "puchas" (poodle-jackals), like the "pucos" (poodle coyotes), exhibited much less domestic dog-like behaviour than the wolf-hybrids.[10]
In 2015, hybridization between golden jackals and domestic dogs in the wild was confirmed when three specimens with anomalous traits were killed in Croatia and had their genetic markers analyzed. Two of the specimens, a light-colored female and a melanistic male, were very jackal-like in appearance, save for their coloration and rounded ears, while one was much more doglike, lacking the jackal's conjoined middle paw pads and sporting dewclaws and a white coat with brown patches. This last specimen was thought to be the pup of the female, which had likely backcrossed with a stray Istrian Shorthaired Hound.[5]
Sulimov dog
The Sulimov dog originated in Russia from an initial
Sulimov’s breeding program dates back to 1975, but was not applied to bomb detection until 2002.
As described by Sulimov:
My dogs combine the qualities of Arctic reindeer herding dogs, which can work in temperatures as low as −70°C, and jackals which enjoy the heat up to +40°C. They're perfect for our country."[12]
Aeroflot used 25 Sulimov dogs at
See also
Footnote
References
- ^ a b Hunter, J. (1787). "Observations tending to show that the wolf, jackal, and dog are all the same species". Phil. Trans., and Animal Œconomy (2nd ed.).
- ^ a b c Flourens, P. (1855). De la Longévité Humaine et de la Quantité de Vie sue le Globe (in French) (2nd ed.). Paris, FR: Garnier Frères, Libraires-Éditeurs. pp. 152–154.
- ^ a b Sterndale, R.A. (1884). Natural History of the Mammalia of India and Ceylon. London, UK: W. Thacker and Co. pp. 238–239.
- ^ a b Briggs, Helen (9 May 2002). "Jackal blood makes 'perfect' sniffer dogs". Sci-Tech. BBC News.
- ^ PMID 27019731.
- .
- PMID 24622972.
- ^ Darwin, Charles (1868). The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication. Vol. 1 (1st ed.). London, UK: John Murray. pp. 32–33.
- ^ Feddersen-Petersen, Doris (2004). Hundepsychologie [Dog Psychology] (in German) (4 ed.). Franck-Kosmos-Verlag.
- ^ Zimen, Erik (1988). "Der Hund, Abstammung- Verhalten" [The dog, ancestry - behavior]. Mensch und Hund [Man and Dog] (in German) (1st ed.). München, DE: C. Bertelsmann Verlag GmbH.
- ^ a b c d Viegas, Jennifer (16 May 2002). "Jackal-dog created for airport security". Animal Planet. Archived from the original on 22 November 2010.
- ^ a b c Rosenberg, Steven (13 December 2002). "Russian airline's top dogs fight terror". World / Europe. BBC News.
- ^ The Science of Dogs (video clip – DVD promotional). National Geographic. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. — shows Sulimov dogs at work
- ^ The Science of Dogs (documentary DVD). National Geographic. 2011. Archived from the original on January 19, 2012.