Discover Dogxim: The World’s One-of-a-Kind Hybrid Animal That Has Scientists Worried

In 2021, near Vacaria in Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul state, a young female canid was found injured after being hit by a car. This sad event soon turned fascinating for veterinarians and scientists. The animal didn’t fit into the typical categories; it wasn’t a full dog or a wild fox. Instead, it had features of both, presenting a unique genetic mystery.

Veterinarians from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul teamed up with geneticists and wildlife specialists to investigate. They discovered that this canid was a hybrid of a domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris) and a pampas fox (Lycalopex gymnocercus), a creature native to South America’s grasslands. This hybrid, named the dogxim (a mix of “dog” and “graxaim-do-campo,” the local term for the pampas fox), had 76 chromosomes—an intriguing middle ground between the 78 chromosomes of dogs and 74 of foxes. This finding, documented in a 2023 study in Animals, represents the first confirmed hybridization of these species, which diverged about 6.7 million years ago.

The dogxim appeared to inherit traits from both parents. It had a long snout and coarse fur like the pampas fox, but also displayed canine behaviors such as barking and playing with toys. Interestingly, it preferred live food, showing a clear wild instinct. Flávia Ferrari, an environmental advocate who cared for the animal, noted that it was “not a dog, not a fox, but an incredible hybrid.” She described its personality as timid, not as friendly as a typical dog, but not aggressive either.

This hybridization likely stems from increasing interactions between human habitats and wildlife. Pampas foxes typically thrive in grasslands but are also seen in fragmented areas disturbed by agriculture and urban development. As human activities expand, encounters between domestic dogs and wild foxes become more common. Jacqueline Boyd, a lecturer in animal sciences at Nottingham Trent University, remarked that the emergence of the dogxim highlights the rising intersections between domestic and wild animals. This overlap may pose risks, including disease transmission and displacement of wild populations.

Although the dogxim passed away just months after its rehabilitation began in 2023, its existence raises important questions about the future of wild canids. If hybrids like the dogxim can reproduce, they could potentially impact the genetic traits and behaviors of native fox populations, threatening their survival.

The detailed study on the dogxim utilized genetic sequencing and cytogenetic analysis. Mitochondrial DNA testing revealed its maternal lineage was from the pampas fox, and nuclear DNA showed clear contributions from domestic dogs. The analysis also uncovered a unique chromosome structure: 76 chromosomes total, with one X chromosome resembling that of a pampas fox and the other similar to a dog’s. This detailed examination reinforced the idea of hybridization. Despite investigating over 1,100 photographs of pampas foxes in the region, researchers found no other animals resembling the dogxim, emphasizing the rarity of this discovery.

This remarkable case illustrates how human influence may reshape wildlife. As urban areas expand, the lines between domesticated and wild animals may blur, leading to unforeseen ecological consequences. Understanding these hybrids’ behavior and genetics is crucial as we navigate this evolving landscape. For more insights into wildlife and hybridization, visit World Wildlife Fund.

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