An astonishing case was reported during a scientific study in Rio Grande do Sul: a female dog-wild canine hybrid was discovered after she was run over in the city of Vacaria in 2021.

The creature, with dark fur and some white hairs, is a mixture of two animals and was the first specimen recorded in South America.

The animal is a female hybrid of a dog and a wild dog. Photo: Flavia Ferrari/Reproduction/ND.

The hit that resulted in the discovery of the animal occurred two years ago, but the full study of the hybrid was only published this month by the UFRGS (Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul). Information taken from the UOL portal.

Hybrid female shot down

It all started with the activation of the Ecological Patrol in the city of Vacaria, in Rio Grande do Sul, after the animal was shot down. At the service, agents classified the animal as a wild dog, possibly a Graxaim species.

The mammal had an extensive lesion on the side of the abdomen and was referred to the UFRGS Veterinary Hospital for medical attention.

The characteristics of the animal caught the attention of university researchers: it had a dark coat and some white coat, like a domestic dog. On the other hand, he refused to eat food and preferred to eat rats. There began an investigation into the true species of the female.

Scientific research

After the full recovery of the animal, the researchers conducted a detailed study of the female and made a surprising discovery: in fact, she was a hybrid obtained by crossing a domestic dog and a wild canine.

Based on analysis of skin and blood samples from the female, collected after sedation, the team found that the animal was maternally descended from the Pampas fox.

This type of cross, hitherto unheard of in South America, caught the attention of the scientific community, which published the full study in Animals in early August.

The authors of the study are Bruna Schinvelski, Christina Matzenbacher, Thales de Freitas, Flavia Ferrari and Marcelo Alievi, all associated with the UFRGS, as well as Prof. Rafael Kretschmer from UFPel (Federal University of Pelotas).

“Although these species diverged about 6.7 million years ago and belong to different genera, there appears to have been little change in their genetic material, making hybridization possible,” says Kretschmer.