So far, it looks like nobody has published about experiments attempting to
cross a Human and a Chimpanzee. Even just testtube experiments would be
extremely interesting.
There is less genetic difference between Humans and Chimpanzees than
between some pairs of species that can cross. Several people I would call
experts have said that they think there is a reasonable chance that this
cross would work. I found stories (legends?) of human ape crosses but
these were never well substantiated (see "Men and Apes" by Ramona and
Desmond Morris).
I would really like to know the results of this experiment. If you have
any leads, please let me know.
Many people think that different species can not cross with each other.
This misconception is particularly common among Creationists. In order
to help clear things up a bit, I am building a list of counterexamples -
cases where different species can cross. In some of these crosses the
two species have a different number of chromosomes.
Here is my current list of pairs of species that can cross:
Known Hybrids Diff DNA MYSS Fertile Reference
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Baboon Rhesus ? ? ? SW Foundation, TX
Gibbon Siamang ? ? ? ?
Horse Donkey >1% ? No Common Mule or Hinny
Lion Tiger ? ? Yes Jungle Larry's Safari
Chicken Turkey ? ? No Beltsville Ag Lab
Wolf Dog ? ? Yes Common
Horse Zebra ? ? ? U.C. Davis, CA
Coyote Wolf ? 1-2 Yes Smithsonian, 3/91 p. 77
Leopard Tiglon ? ? ? Jungle Larry's Safari
A-Bison E-Bison ? ? Yes ?
Mallard Canada Goose
" Domestic Goose
" Mergansers
" Eiders
" Wood duck
" At least 47 species Book-1
? ?
And then the real question:
Unknown Hybrids Diff DNA MYSS Reference
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Human Chimpanzee <1% ~6 No public scientific info, yet?
MYSS = millions of years since separation of gene pools
Jungle Larry's Safari is in Cedar Point, OH
A-Bison = American Bison, E-Bison = European Bison
Detail on Horse+Donkey: Mare + Jackass = Mule, Stallion + She-ass = Hinny
If you have any info, or pointers to info, that would help me fill in
these tables please send it to me. I am looking for different animal
species that can cross. I am particularly interested in well known
species that seem very different. Also any Ape or Monkey hybrids would
be very interesting.
-- Vince Cate
vac at cs.cmu.edu
PS I hear that their are hybrids in the following areas but do not
have specific species pairs:
lots of amphibians
birds in general
aquatic animals that practice external fertilization
hummingbirds
Book-1
Gray, Annie P. 1958. Bird Hybrids/A Check-List with Bibliography.
Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux, Farnham Royal, Bucks, England.
Technical Communication No. 13.
