Studies of wolf x coyote hybridization via artificial insemination

Authors

L. David Mech, U.S. Geological SurveyFollow
Cheryl S. Asa, Saint Louis Zoo
Margaret Callahan, Wildlife Science Center
Bruce W. Christensen, University of California, Davis
Fran Smith, Smith Veterinary Hospital, Inc.
Julie K. Young, Utah State UniversityFollow

Date of this Version

2017

Citation

Mech LD, Asa CS, Callahan M, Christensen BW, Smith F, Young JK (2017) Studies of wolf x coyote hybridization via artificial insemination. PLoS ONE 12(9): e0184342. https:// doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0184342

Comments

Open Access.

Abstract

Following the production of western gray wolf (Canis lupus) x western coyote (Canis latrans) hybrids via artificial insemination (AI), the present article documents that the hybrids survived in captivity for at least 4 years and successfully bred with each other. It further reports that backcrossing one of the hybrids to a male gray wolf by AI also resulted in the birth of live pups that have survived for at least 10 months. All male hybrids (F₁ and F₂) produced sperm by about 10 months of age, and sperm quality of the F₁ males fell within the fertile range for domestic dogs, but sperm motility and morphology, in particular, were low in F₂ males at 10 months but improved in samples taken at 22 months of age. These studies are relevant to a long-standing controversy about the identity of the red wolf (Canis rufus), the existence of a proposed new species (Canis lycaon) of gray wolf, and to the role of hybridization in mammalian evolution.