Grolar Bears! And Other Hybrids
NYTimes article on hybrids: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/17/magazine/should-you-fear-the-pizzly-bear.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar%2C{%221%22%3A%22RI%3A6%22}&_r=0 Scishow's The Majestic Grolar Bear: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyX7HH0omIU WWF Living Planet Report 2014: http://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/living-planet-report-2014 Is it possible that some species could escape extinction by using a human trick - what we call "winging it"?
Turns out that the definition of "species" is harder to pin down than you might have imagined. Take bears: there are cute ones, endangered ones, and scary ones. Some of them, like the polar and the grizzly, are distant cousins. And when events like climate change and encroaching civilization put pressure on both species, the result may be Grolar Bears. And then there are Coywolves and Blinxes…
But since 1970, 52% of all species have become extinct. Going hybrid may be a survival strategy, but it won’t be enough to save them all.
For more see This Planet Chronicle's post: Will Hybrid Animals Help Species Survive?
