You've met the coywolf, the hybrid spreading through the northeast. But New Jersey is also home to other hybrid animals.
You've met the coywolf, the hybrid spreading through the northeast. But New Jersey is also home to other hybrid animals.
Hybrid animals arise when two different species breed -- some are sterile, like mules, but others become distinct species in their own right.
Because of the combination of genes from their parents, some hybrids are able to adapt to environments where their parents aren't able to, the New York Times reported.
MORE: Meet the coywolf, New Jersey's apex predator
And we might be hybrids ourselves. It appears that 1 to 4 percent of the DNA sequence of Europeans and Asians comes from Neanderthals mixing with Homo Sapiens tens of thousands of years ago.
Here are a few other hybrids found in New Jersey:
Coywolf
Coywolves are a cross between a coyote and a wolf. They're increasingly common in the northeast, including New Jersey. They're about twice the size of coyotes, with larger jaws and bigger muscles, the better for eating big prey like deer.
Wolfdog
Wolfdogs are hybrids between wolves and dogs. New Jersey residents are allowed to keep them as pets. In 2013, Linden police caught a wolfdog that escaped from its owner's yard in Rahway. Police said it was large, but not aggressive.
Bobcat-cat hybrids
The most famous example of these hybrids is Rocky, a feline kept by a Stafford Township woman as a pet. After Rocky got loose, officials refused to return Rocky unless owner Ginny Fine could prove he was at least part cat. She'd need a special permit from the Department of Environmental Portection if Rocky turned out to be a pure bobcat. Luckily for Fine, a DNA test was inconclusive, and a judge allowed her to take Rocky home.
Liger
No, Ligers don't live in New Jersey. But they've visited in the past as part of the Big Cat Encounter at the State Fair Meadowlands. Ligers are a cross between a male lion and a female tiger. They are not, as stated by the eponymous hero in "Napolean Dynamite," bred for their skills in magic. The Big Cat Habitat and Gulf Coast Sanctuary brings Mia, a liger, and other large cats to perform at the State Fair.
Mule
Mules are a cross between male donkeys and female horses. They have a reputation for being stubborn, but some owners ride them in competition just like horses and ponies.
Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.