Can a domestic dog and a wild wolf really procreate? The answer might surprise you.
Can dogs crossbreed with wolves?
Dogs and wolves can indeed interbreed, producing hybrids known as wolfdogs. These offspring are viable and fertile – and can go on to reproduce themselves.
How is this possible?
Dogs are a subspecies of wolves, sharing a close genetic relationship – in fact, much of their DNA is shared and dogs were simply domesticated from wolves. There is so little difference between wolves and dogs that, until recently, biologists believed that dogs were domesticated from the grey wolf. It is now understood that they have been domesticated from another, now extinct, wolf lineage.
Dogs were likely domesticated between 15,000 and 40,000 years ago, which is not a particularly long time in terms of evolutionary development. Almost all the genes responsible for the variation in modern dog breeds were already present in the ancestral wolf population.
While they have different scientific names – Canis familiaris (domestic dog) and Canis lupus (wolf) – many experts consider them to be virtually the same species.
Are there any official breeds of wolfdogs?
The Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) – the international federation of national kennel clubs and purebred registries – recognises two breeds of wolfdog: the Czechoslovakian wolfdog (top image) and the Saarloos wolfdog. The Czechoslovakian wolfdog was developed in the 1950s by crossing German shepherds with Carpathian wolves, while the Saarloos wolfdog was created by Dutch zoologist Leendert Saarloos in the 1930s by crossing a German shepherd with a German shepherd hybrid.
Do dogs and wolves crossbreed in nature?
Dogs and wolves can interbreed both intentionally and naturally in areas where their habitats overlap.
Find out more about whether dogs and foxes can interbreed here.
Are wolfdogs dangerous?
Due to their variable temperament and aggressive characteristics inherited from their wolf parent, wolfdogs are more dangerous than domestic dogs – but much of this is due to conditioning and environment.
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Top image: Czechoslovakian wolfdogs (credit: Getty Images)