A felid hybrid is any of a number of hybrids between various

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of the cat family,

Felidae Felidae ( ) is the Family (biology), family of mammals in the Order (biology), order Carnivora colloquially referred to as cats. A member of this family is also called a felid ( ). The 41 extant taxon, extant Felidae species exhibit the gre ...

. This article deals with hybrids between the species of the subfamily

Felinae The small cats or Felinae are a subfamily of Felidae distinguished by their bony hyoids, which let them purr but not roar. Other authors have proposed an alternative definition for this subfamily, as comprising only the living conical-toothed cat ...

(feline hybrids). For hybrids between two species of the genus ''Panthera'' (lions, tigers, jaguars, and leopards), see Panthera hybrid. There are no known hybrids between '' Neofelis'' (the clouded leopard) and other genera. By contrast, many genera of Felinae are interfertile with each other, though few hybridize under natural conditions, and not all combinations are likely to be viable (e.g. between the tiny rusty-spotted cat and the

leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant cat species in the genus ''Panthera''. It has a pale yellowish to dark golden fur with dark spots grouped in rosettes. Its body is slender and muscular reaching a length of with a ...

-sized

cougar The cougar (''Puma concolor'') (, ''Help:Pronunciation respelling key, KOO-gər''), also called puma, mountain lion, catamount and panther is a large small cat native to the Americas. It inhabits North America, North, Central America, Cent ...

All-wild feline hybridization

Caracal × serval hybrids

A '' caraval'' is a cross between a male

caracal The caracal (''Caracal caracal'') () is a medium-sized Felidae, wild cat native to Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and arid areas of Pakistan and northwestern India. It is characterised by a robust build, long legs, a short face, long ...

(''Caracal caracal'') and a female

serval The serval (''Leptailurus serval'') is a wild small cat native to Africa. It is widespread in sub-Saharan countries, where it inhabits grasslands, wetlands, moorlands and bamboo thickets. Across its range, it occurs in protected areas, and ...

(''Leptailurus serval''), while a male

's and female

's offspring are called ''servicals''. The first servicals were bred accidentally when the two animals were housed together at the

Los Angeles Zoo The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens is a zoo founded in 1966 and located in Los Angeles, California, United States. The city of Los Angeles owns the zoo, its land and facilities, and the animals. History Eastlake Zoo, opened in Eastlak ...

. The offspring were tawny with pale spots. If a female servical is crossed to a male caracal, the result is a ''car-servical''; if she is crossed to a male serval, the result is a ''ser-servical''.

Bobcat × lynx

The blynx or lynxcat is a hybrid of a

bobcat The bobcat (''Lynx rufus''), also known as the wildcat, bay lynx, or red lynx, is one of the four extant species within the medium-sized wild cat genus '' Lynx''. Native to North America, it ranges from southern Canada through most of the c ...

(''Lynx rufus'') and some other species of genus ''

Lynx A lynx ( ; : lynx or lynxes) is any of the four wikt:extant, extant species (the Canada lynx, Iberian lynx, Eurasian lynx and the bobcat) within the medium-sized wild Felidae, cat genus ''Lynx''. The name originated in Middle Engl ...

''. The appearance of the offspring depends on which lynx species is used, as the

Eurasian lynx The Eurasian lynx (''Lynx lynx'') is one of the four wikt:extant, extant species within the medium-sized wild Felidae, cat genus ''Lynx''. It is widely distributed from Northern Europe, Northern, Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe to Cent ...

(''Lynx lynx'') is more heavily spotted than the

Canada lynx The Canada lynx (''Lynx canadensis'') or Canadian lynx is one of the four living species in the genus ''Lynx''. It is a medium-sized wild cat characterized by long, dense fur, triangular ears with black tufts at the tips, and broad, snowshoe- ...

(''Lynx canadensis''). These hybrids have been bred in captivity and also occur naturally where a lynx or bobcat cannot find a member of its own species for mating. At least seven such hybrids have been reported in the United States, outside of captivity. In August 2003, two wild-occurring hybrids between wild Canadian lynx and bobcats were confirmed by DNA analysis in the Moosehead region of Maine. Three hybrids were identified in northeastern Minnesota. These were the first confirmed hybrids outside of captivity. Mitochondrial DNA studies showed them all to be the result of matings between female Canada lynx and male bobcats. A male Canada lynx × bobcat hybrid was trapped in 1998, radio-collared and released, only to die of starvation. The female hybrid was fertile. In November 2003, a spotted lynxcat was observed in Illinois, from normal lynx territory, but it may have been an escaped hybrid pet. The hybrids closely resembled bobcats with larger bodies and smaller feet, but had some lynx-like features: long ear tufts and almost completely black-tipped tails. The Canada lynx is a protected species in 14 US states constituting the southern part of its historic range, but the hybrids are not protected and may be shot by hunters. However, some of odd-looking ''Lynx'' may be colour morphs of either bobcats or Canada lynx rather than hybrids. This poses the danger that protected Canada lynx are being killed.

European wildcat × jungle cat

The Euro-chaus is a human-induced hybrid between the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the jungle cat species (''Felis chaus''). It should not be confused with the Euro-chausie, which is a cross between the domestic Chausie breed and a European wildcat .

Margay × ocelot

The marlot is a hybrid between a male

margay The margay (''Leopardus wiedii'') is a small wild cat native to Mexico, Central and South America. A solitary and nocturnal felid, it lives mainly in primary evergreen and deciduous forest. Until the 1990s, margays were hunted for the wildl ...

(''Leopardus wiedii'') and female

ocelot The ocelot (''Leopardus pardalis'') is a medium-sized spotted Felidae, wild cat that reaches at the shoulders and weighs between on average. It is native to the southwestern United States, Mexico, Central America, Central and South America, ...

(''L. pardalis''). In May 1977, the Long Island Ocelot Club (LIOC) announced the birth of a marlot bred by Barbara Brocks using captive-bred parents. There was no description of the marlot, but the parent species both have rosetted or marbled patterns on a sandy background.

Margay × oncilla hybridization attempts

There were attempts to breed the margay with the

oncilla The oncilla (''Leopardus tigrinus''), also known as the northern tiger cat, little spotted cat, and tigrillo, is a small spotted cat ranging from Central America to central Brazil. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, and the popul ...

(''Leopardus tigrinus'') by Dutch breeder Mme Falken-Rohrle in the 1950s. These appear to have been unsuccessful.

Puma hybrids

In the 19th and 20th centuries, various

hybrids with differing big cats were attempted in captivity and reportedly successful, including cougar × leopard (called a

pumapard A pumapard is a hybrid of a cougar and a leopard. Both male cougar with female leopard and male leopard with female cougar pairings have produced offspring. In general, these hybrids have exhibited a tendency to dwarfism. Characteristics W ...

), and cougar × jaguar. Additionally, at least one instance of hybridization between a cougar and an

has occurred in captivity.

Domestic × wild hybridization

The

domestic cat The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small Domestication, domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have sh ...

, known variously as ''Felis catus'', ''F. silvestris catus'', or ''F. lybica catus'', a descendant of the African wildcat (''F. lybica''), has been hybridized with several wild felid species. These wild-domestic hybrids have sometimes been called "feral-domestic hybrids". However, this is a misnomer, because ''

feral A feral (; ) animal or plant is one that lives in the wild but is descended from domesticated individuals. As with an introduced species, the introduction of feral animals or plants to non-native regions may disrupt ecosystems and has, in som ...

'' refers to a domesticated population species which has reverted to living without human caretakers. Most of these are artificial hybrids (i.e., bred intentionally by humans), though natural hybridization has occurred .

Confirmed domestic cat × felid hybrids

Some pairings have given rise to more than one variety, bred for distinctive appearances and different percentages of wild felid genes. They may thus form distinct breeds with separate breed standards, though many of these hybrids are not recognized by any major

breed registry A breed registry, also known as a herdbook, studbook or register, in animal husbandry, the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeders w ...

. At least two are the result of incidental interbreeding without human intervention, but the majority are the result of experimental selective-breeding hybridization (as with

wolfdog A wolfdog is a canine produced by the mating of a domestic dog (''Canis familiaris'') with a gray wolf (''Canis lupus''), eastern wolf (''Canis lycaon''), red wolf (''Canis rufus''), or Ethiopian wolf (''Canis simensis'') to produce a ...

s) for the

exotic pet An exotic pet is a pet which is relatively rare or unusual to keep, or is generally thought of as a Wild animal, wild species rather than as a Domesticated animal, domesticated pet. The definition varies by culture, location, and over time—as an ...

market. *

Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

: domestic cat × Asian

leopard cat The leopard cat (''Prionailurus bengalensis'') is a Felinae, small wild cat native to continental South Asia, South, Southeast Asia, Southeast, and East Asia. Since 2002 it has been listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List as it is widely di ...

(''Prionailurus bengalensis'', usually the ''P. b. bengalensis'' subspecies) ** : There are several more domestic cat breeds derived in part from Bengal stock. * Bristol: domestic cat ×

(''Leopardus wiedii''); died out in the 1990s due to fertility problems. The few remaining fertile members would be bred into the Bengal breed to improve its genetic diversity. * Caracat: domestic cat ×

; first case was accidental in the

Moscow Zoo The Moscow Zoo or Moskovsky Zoopark () is a zoo, the largest in Russia. History The Moscow Zoo was founded in 1864 by professor-biologists, K.F. Rulje, S.A. Usov and A.P. Bogdanov, from the Moscow State University. In 1919, the zoo was natio ...

in 1998. * Chausie: domestic cat × jungle cat species (''Felis chaus'') * Kanaani: domestic cat × African wildcat (''Felis lybica''); commonly known to interbreed where their ranges overlap. *

Kellas cat The Kellas cat is a large black Felidae, cat found in Scotland. It is an interspecific hybrid between the Scottish wildcat (''Felis silvestris silvestris'' syn. ''Felis silvestris grampia'') and the domestic cat (''Felis catus''). Once thought t ...

: Naturally occurring

landrace A landrace is a Domestication, domesticated, locally adapted, often traditional variety of a species of animal or plant that has developed over time, through adaptation to its natural and cultural Environment (biophysical), environment of agric ...

, domestic cat × Scottish wildcat (''Felis silvestris silvestris'') * Machbagral, viverral, and jambi: domestic cat × fishing cat (''Prionailurus viverrinus'') * Marguerite: domestic cat × sand cat (''Felis margarita''); kittens were born to a domestic female, in 2013 and another 20 hybrids in the United Kingdom in 2017 *Safari cat: domestic cat ×

Geoffroy's cat Geoffroy's cat (''Leopardus geoffroyi'') is a small wild cat native to the southern and central regions of South America. It is around the size of a domestic cat. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List due to it being widespread and a ...

(''Leopardus geoffroyi'') *

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

: domestic cat (including Bengal) ×

(''Leptailurus serval'') * Unnamed: domestic cat × Chinese Mountain Cat; hybridization found around the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in a manner similar to the Kellas cat. * Unnamed: domestic cat ×

(''Leopardus tigrinus''): All known examples are infertile.

Attempted or unconfirmed hybrids

* Domestic cat ×

(''Lynx rufus''): There are reports of bobcats breeding with domestic cats, but evidence of offspring remains circumstantial and anecdotal. Their interfertility is yet to be proven scientifically.

References

Other sources

* I Kusminych & A Pawlowa ("Ein Bastard von Karakal Hauskatze im Moskauer Zoo" in ''Der Zoologische Garten'' Vol. 68, No. 4 (1998)) (A Hybrid of Caracal and House Cat in Moscow Zoo). * Paul Leyhausen (Oncilla × domestic cat hybrids) * Mike Tomkies, "Wildcats" (and various other works regarding Scottish Wildcats) * Frances Pitt, "Wild Animals in Britain" (1939) (Scottish Wildcat hybrids) * Edward Hamilton, 1896 (Scottish Wildcat hybrids)
LYNX AND BOBCAT HYBRIDS

External links and online references

*

Interesting facts about the hybrid cats
(German version) {{Mammal hybrids Hybrids Intergeneric hybrids