Ursid hybrid

An ursid hybrid is an animal with parents from two different species or subspecies of the bear family (Ursidae). Species and subspecies of bear known to have produced offspring with another bear species or subspecies include American black bears, grizzly bears, and polar bears, all of which are members of the genus Ursus. Bears not included in Ursus, such as the giant panda, are expected to be unable to produce hybrids with other bears. The giant panda bear belongs to the genus Ailuropoda. Note all of the confirmed hybrids listed here have been in captivity (except grizzly × polar bear), but suspected hybrids have been found in the wild. A recent study found genetic evidence of multiple instances and species combinations where genetic material has passed the species boundary in bears (a process called introgression by geneticists). Specifically, species with evidence of past intermingling were (1) brown bear and American black bear, (2) brown bear and polar bear, (3) American black bear and Asian black bear. Overall, this study shows that evolution in the bear family (Ursidae) has not been strictly bifurcating, but instead showed complex evolutionary relationships. All the Ursinae species (i.e., all bears except the giant panda and the spectacled bear) appear able to crossbreed. In 1859, a black bear and a European brown bear were bred together in the London Zoological Gardens, but the three cubs did not reach maturity. In The Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication Darwin noted: In the nine-year Report it is stated that the bears had been seen in the Zoological Gardens to couple freely, but previously to 1848 most had rarely conceived. In the Reports published since this date three species have produced young (hybrids in one case), ... A bear shot in autumn 1986 in Alaska was thought by some to be a grizzly × black bear hybrid, due to its unusually large size and its proportionately larger braincase and skull. DNA testing was unable to determine whether it was a large American black bear or a grizzly bear.

About this result

This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.

Related publications (32)

Related units (2)

Related concepts (5)

Related lectures (4)

Functional-Basis Analysis of Non-Stationary Signals in Modern Power Grids: Theory and Implementation in Embedded Systems

Alexandra Cameron Karpilow

Situational awareness strategies are essential for the reliable and secure operation of the electric power grid which represents critical infrastructure in modern society. With the rise of converter-interfaced renewable generation and the consequent shift ...

EPFL2024

The convergence of human and artificial intelligence is currently receiving considerable scholarly attention. Much debate about the resulting Hybrid Minds focuses on the integration of artificial intelligence into the human brain through intelligent brain- ...

2023

Additive Manufacturing also commonly referred as 3D printing has been given a lot of interest lately. Market is growing exponentially and the aim for obtaining more complex and ready-to use parts is emerging. All the 3D printing processes consist in buildi ...

EPFL2023

Explores historical cases of monstrous births, fabrication of hybrids, plant breeding advancements, and the influence of science on commerce and industry.

Covers the precursors of Kohn-Sham Density Functional Theory (DFT) and the Kohn-Sham formulation, explaining types of Exc[p] approximations and the performance of LDA.

Explores the concept of 'flow' in action games and the evolution of Beat Them All (BTA) games over time.

Grizzly bear

The grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis), also known as the North American brown bear or simply grizzly, is a population or subspecies of the brown bear inhabiting North America. In addition to the mainland grizzly (Ursus arctos horribilis), other morphological forms of brown bear in North America are sometimes identified as grizzly bears. These include three living populations—the Kodiak bear (U. a. middendorffi), the Kamchatka bear (U. a. beringianus), and the peninsular grizzly (U. a.

Asian black bear

The Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus), also known as the Asiatic black bear, moon bear and white-chested bear, is a medium-sized bear species native to Asia that is largely adapted to an arboreal lifestyle. It lives in the Himalayas, southeastern Iran, the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent, the Korean Peninsula, China, the Russian Far East, the islands of Honshū and Shikoku in Japan, and Taiwan. It is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, and is threatened by deforestation and poaching for its body parts, which are used in traditional medicine.

Giant panda

The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca, sometimes panda bear or simply panda) is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its bold black-and-white coat and rotund body. The name "giant panda" is sometimes used to distinguish it from the red panda, a neighboring musteloid. Though it belongs to the order Carnivora, the giant panda is a folivore, with bamboo shoots and leaves making up more than 99% of its diet. Giant pandas in the wild occasionally eat other grasses, wild tubers, or even meat in the form of birds, rodents, or carrion.