Canid hybrids are the result of interbreeding between two different members of the canine (dog) family (Canidae).

The wolf (including the dingo), coyote, jackal, and domestic dog all have 78 chromosomes arranged in 39 pairs.

This allows them to hybridise freely (barring size or behavioural constraints) and produce fertile offspring.

The wolf, coyote, and golden jackal diverged around 3 to 4 million years ago.

Other members of the dog family diverged 7 to 10 million years ago and are less closely related and cannot hybridise with the wolf-like canids: the yellow Jackal has 74 chromosomes, the red fox has 38 chromosomes, the raccoon dog has 42 chromosomes, and the Fennec fox has 64 chromosomes.

Although the African Wild Dog has 78 chromosomes, it is considered distinct enough to be placed in its own genus..

For more information about the topic Canine hybrids, read the full article at Wikipedia.org, or see the following related articles:

Hypoallergenic dog breeds — Hypoallergenic dog breeds are those touted as being hypoallergenic; that is, provoking fewer allergic reactions in allergy sufferers. These breeds ...  > read more

Red Wolf — The Red Wolf is the rarest and most endangered of all wolves. It is thought that its original distribution included much of eastern North America, ...  > read more

Somatic cell — A somatic cell is generally taken to mean any cell forming the body of an organism. Somatic cells, by definition, are not germline cells. In mammals, ...  > read more

African Wild Dog — The African Hunting Dog, also called African Wild Dog, is a mammal of the Canidae family, and thus related to the domestic dog. It is the only ...  > read more

Related Stories

Who's Afraid Of The Big, Bad Wolf? Coyotes (September 19, 2007) — While the wily coyote reigns as top dog in much of the country, it leads a nervous existence wherever it coexists with its larger relative, the wolf, according to a new study. In fact, coyote ...  > read more

Life As A Dog Means Faster Mutations (May 10, 2007) — It may be hard to see that the Chinese crested dog is descended from the wolf, but it's easier to grasp that two poodles of different sizes are related. Now there is reason to believe that dogs of ...  > read more

Dingo’s Mother A Chinese Domesticated Dog (August 17, 2004) — The Australian dingo descends from domesticated dogs that people from Southeast Asia brought with them to Australia some 5,000 years ago. Genetic studies indicate that it is probably a matter of a ...  > read more

Genetic Cancer Link Between Humans And Dogs Discovered (March 2, 2008) — Cancer researchers have found that humans and dogs share more than friendship and companionship -- they also share the same genetic basis for certain types of cancer. Furthermore, the researchers say ...  > read more

Evolution Of Sex Chromosomes: The Case Of The White Campion (February 2, 2005) — Similarities in sex chromosome evolution have been reported between birds and mammals (although in birds, females are the heterozygous sex). In a new study, Michael Nicolas and colleagues uncover ...  > read more

Search ScienceDaily

Doggy Genes