How come humans can cross-breed? LOL?

Question

How come a horse and donkey can make a mule but say....a Human and Ape can't? J/W lol What makes them capabale

Answer 1

Break down the statements you made. Horse and donkey are two different species. They are closely enough related that they can produce viable offspring but this offspring is a hybrid. But note that mules are sterile and cannot produce another generation of offspring. There is debate as to whether humans and apes can produce offspring. We are only different by 1 chromosome which makes it theoretically possible. But research like that would be VERY controversial. I would expect it to be very difficult to pass through an ethics panel. Don't expect that kind of research soon.

Answer 2

All humans are the same species.  There are only small differences between the races.  We are not the same genus or species as apes.  Horses and donkeys are much more closely related than humans and apes, and they still have infertile offspring.

Equidae is the family of horse-like animals, which belong to the order Perissodactyla. It is sometimes known as the horse family. Apart from the horse, other extant equids include assorted subspecies of donkey or ***, and the zebras. All of these are in the genus Equus.

Douglas J. Futuyma's EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY (1998): "Species are groups of actually or potentially interbreeding populations that are reproductively isolated from other such groups". The "reproductive isolation" can be genetic (non-fertility), geographic, or behavioral; there is NO criteria that says (as is commonly believed) that if two populations can interbreed they are the SAME species. There is NO criteria that says that two distinct species CAN'T interbreed. Consider the example of wolves, coyotes and dogs: three distinct species that can interbreed. In fact, all species of the genus Canis can mate and produce fertile offspring

Answer 3

Only animals with similar genetic material can be cross-bred, otherwise, the offspring is not viable (cannot survive). Even in the case of a mule, the match is not perfect - horses and donkeys have different numbers of chromosomes - and as a result mules cannot reproduce.

Are you sure humans can't cross-breed with apes? Have you done all your research? Do you know, for example, that the word "ape" does not refer to a specific species but to a class of simians? (hmmm...) I'm not asserting that it's possible, but... always do your own research before consulting the Y!A community...

Answer 4

There is a theory that says Humans can probably interbreed with Bonobos and Chimps.

Go figure.

EDIT: Woo rated down for giving an answer.

The person who said Pan and Homo are different hasn't researched into it enough. Species in Pan and Homo are so similar genetically and socially that time and time again taxonomists say the two should be mixed.