Mammalian Hybrids - Articles - Biology Dictionary
A ll of the crosses listed below have been reported. And about half have definitely occurred. As to the other half, consider the evidence collected under the heading of any given cross and judge for yourself. A minimum of opinion is interjected, because facts that convince one person will not always persuade another. In general, the evidence becomes increasingly thin as the crosses become more distant. However, this correlation is not strict, that is, some crosses between closely related animals are less well documented than certain distant crosses.
Most scientists do not believe that crosses as distant as those listed below can actually occur. That is, the idea that intergeneric crosses occur is widely accepted, but not the notion that interfamilial crosses do. And most scientists consider the occurrence of interordinal and interclass crosses as far-fetched, or even impossible, especially ones involving human beings. However, extensive review of the literature reveals there is a great deal of evidence that such distant crosses do, at least on rare occasion, take place. It has been my policy in listing reports of hybrids to include all serious allegations, especially those of scholars, whether or not the hybrid alleged seems possible or likely to me. This policy, I think, helps to eliminate subjective judgment on my part, and therefore should remove at least one source of systematic bias from my work. It also helps to fulfill the ethical obligation of telling not just the truth, but the whole truth.
