Whale-Dolphin Hybrid Has Baby Wholphin

[pikachupacabra]

I, for one, welcome our new Dolphin-Whale overlords.


http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2005/04/14/national/a185334D06.DTL

Whale-Dolphin Hybrid Has Baby Wholphin
By JEANNETTE J. LEE, Associated Press Writer

Friday, April 15, 2005


(04-15) 10:44 PDT HONOLULU, (AP) --


The only whale-dolphin mix in captivity has given birth to a playful female calf, officials at Sea Life Park Hawaii said Thursday.


The calf was born on Dec. 23 to Kekaimalu, a mix of a false killer whale and an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin. Park officials said they waited to announce the birth until now because of recent changes in ownership and operations at the park.


The young as-yet unnamed wholphin is one-fourth false killer whale and three-fourths Atlantic bottlenose dolphin. Her slick skin is an even blend of a dolphin's light gray and the black coloring of a false killer whale.


The calf still depends fully on her mother's milk, but sometimes snatches frozen capelin from the hands of trainers, then toys with the sardine-like fish.


She is jumbo-sized compared to purebred dolphins, and is already the size of a one-year-old bottlenose.


"Mother and calf are doing very well," said Dr. Renato Lenzi, general manager of Sea Life Park by Dolphin Discovery. "We are monitoring them very closely to ensure the best care for them."


Although false killer whales and Atlantic bottlenose dolphins are different species, they are classified within the same family by scientists.


"They are not that far apart in terms of taxonomy," said Louis Herman, a leading expert in the study of marine mammals.


There have been reports of wholphins in the wild, he said.


Kekaimalu, whose name means "from the peaceful ocean," was born 19 years ago after a surprise coupling between a 14-foot, 2,000-pound false killer whale and a 6-foot, 400-pound dolphin. The animals were the leads in the park's popular tourist water show, featured in the Adam Sandler movie "50 First Dates."


Kekaimalu has given birth to two other calves. One lived for nine years and the other, born when Kekaimalu was very young, died a few days after birth.


Park researchers suspect the wholphin's father is an 8-foot long Atlantic bottlenose dolphin named Mikioi.


"He seems to be totally oblivious to this happening," Lenzi said.


False killer whales do not closely resemble killer whales. They grow to 20 feet, weigh up to two tons and have a tapering, rounded snout that overhangs their toothed jaw.


Atlantic bottlenose dolphins reach a maximum size of 12 feet and can weigh up to 700 pounds.


Sea Life Park officials said they hope to decide on a name for the baby wholphin soon and move her to a large display tank in a few months.

[Napoleon Chynamite]

Is it really a mix though? I've read in several places that killer whales/orcas, despite the name, are really closer to dolphins than they are to other whales genetically/evolutionarily-speaking or whatever. Just like how supposedly panda bears are more closely related to raccoons than they are to other bears.

[SunWuKong]

http://www.tigers-animal-actors.com/pom/liger.jpg

that's a liger. a tiger/lion mix and is bigger than both lions and tigers. it's the biggest living feline.

[Napoleon Chynamite]

^ Haha, awesome.

[VV o n g B a]

is there a pic of the wholphin?

*edit
http://www.hawaii.edu/HIMB/Education/Kristine&Mark&Wholphin.jpg

hey, is the pic posting function broken?

[ahsingjai]

According to the article, you can find these Whophins in the wild. That's interesting.

[thaite]

http://www.tigers-animal-actors.com/pom/liger.jpg

that's a liger. a tiger/lion mix and is bigger than both lions and tigers. it's the biggest living feline.

They're also bred for their skills in magic.

[Arex]

is there a pic of the wholphin?

*edit
http://www.hawaii.edu/HIMB/Education/Kristine&Mark&Wholphin.jpg

That thing looks like some sort of sea monster!!

RX

[hooligan]

Sushi, yum.

[Chu Chi]

Is a hybrid the same thing as a mutt?

CC

[pikachupacabra]

Is a hybrid the same thing as a mutt?

CC


I believe a mutt is a crossbreed of two of the same species, just different varients, whereas a hybrid is actually a mingling of two species

[applehead]

that's a liger. a tiger/lion mix and is bigger than both lions and tigers. it's the biggest living feline.

HA!
i totally thought that was make believe.
like dragons and unicorns!!

[Chu Chi]

I believe a mutt is a crossbreed of two of the same species, just different varients, whereas a hybrid is actually a mingling of two species

What is the difference between "crossbreeding" and "mingling.

CC

[SunWuKong]

HA!
i totally thought that was make believe.
like dragons and unicorns!!

no, it's real.

http://www.sierrasafarizoo.com/animals/liger.htm

there's a size inhibitor gene or something in the male tigers and the female lions. so when they bred a male lion and a female tiger to get the liger, it became bigger than both lions and tigers.

[Grasshopper]

What is the difference between "crossbreeding" and "mingling".

CC

I don't know that "mingling" is a technical term in genetics. :biggrin:

Besides I think the animals have to get past the "mingling" stage if you know what I mean.

By hybrids they mean individuals from two different species. Otherwise it's individuals breeding within the species but between populations that are different - like races or breeds.

It's interesting that animals instinctively know to breed within their species or even their breed or race or subspecies.

That's how you get variation over time. Individuals breed within a population and the result is genetic changes that distinguish the group from others.

In the short term a breed or race is created and in the long term this breed or race can turn into a distinct species or go extinct.

That dolphin/whale hybrid looks kind of spooky. I don't think they should encourage that.

[SunWuKong]

and how about the beefalo? it's a buffalo/cow hybrid bred for meat.

http://www.greenapple.com/~jorp/amzanim/beefalo.jpg

also, the geep. a hybrid between a goat and a sheep. i swear people cross breed animals just to come up with funny names.
http://www.greenapple.com/~jorp/amzanim/geep02.jpg

[Halcyon Kitsune]

A false killer whale and bluebottle dolphin hybrid... I haven't heard that these animals are becoming a common occurance so I'm assuming they have some sort of deficiency that does not enable them to function in the wild that well. Kind of like you don't see cats with short legs (similar to the domestic cat breed, the munchkin) in the wild because it does not help the animal catch food any faster, rather, the opposite because of it's altered legs. The hybrid is still interesting to me, although it's appearance is startling... almost like out of a nightmare. A dark sleek shape with a large jaw filled with teeth. Maybe it's just the genes from the false killer whale that are bothering me...

[PropellerheadCP]

is there a pic of the wholphin?

*edit
http://www.hawaii.edu/HIMB/Education/Kristine&Mark&Wholphin.jpg

hey, is the pic posting function broken?

Holy crap! It looks like those creatures from the "Alien" movies.

[Chu Chi]

I don't know that "mingling" is a technical term in genetics. :biggrin:

Besides I think the animals have to get past the "mingling" stage if you know what I mean.

By hybrids they mean individuals from two different species. Otherwise it's individuals breeding within the species but between populations that are different - like races or breeds.

It's interesting that animals instinctively know to breed within their species or even their breed or race or subspecies.

That's how you get variation over time. Individuals breed within a population and the result is genetic changes that distinguish the group from others.

In the short term a breed or race is created and in the long term this breed or race can turn into a distinct species or go extinct.

That dolphin/whale hybrid looks kind of spooky. I don't think they should encourage that.




What makes a "population" different enough to qualify as a separate species?


CC

[asvenus]

yeah thats right make fun of it or admire its beauty..nonone truly understands the pain of being 'mingled'...oh the pain

yes im being sarky!!..wtf is 'mingled'..i thought its what posh people did at parties!!

[Grasshopper]

What makes a "population" different enough to qualify as a separate species?


CC

Well this is serious biology, very complex stuff.

If you care enough you'll have to do the reseach. Here's one analysis:

http://members.aol.com/darwinpage/mayrspecies.htm

What is a Species, and What is Not?

by Ernst Mayr

Originally Published in
Philosophy of Science, Vol. 63 (June 1996) pp. 262-277.


"Among the attributes members of a species share, the only ones that are of crucial significance for the species definition are those which serve the biological purpose of the species, that is, the protection of a harmonious gene pool. These attributes were named by Dobzhansky (1935) isolating mechanisms. It is immaterial whether or not the term isolating mechanism was well chosen, nor is it important whether one places the stress on the prevention of interbreeding with non-conspecific individuals or the facilitation ("recognition") of breeding with conspecific individuals.

The concept I have just developed is articulated in the so-called biological species definition: "Species are groups of interbreeding natural populations that are reproductively isolated from other such groups." The isolating mechanism by which reproductive isolation is effected are properties of individuals. Geographic isolation therefore does not qualify as an isolating mechanism.

..... The basic message which emerges from this account of the numerous difficulties of the species problem is that the definition of the biological species must be based on its biological significance, which is the maintenance of the integrity of well balanced, harmonious gene pools. The actual demarcation of species taxa uses morphological, geographical, ecological, behavioral, and molecular information to infer the rank of isolated populations."

[Fireblade]

Ok.. so a Tiglon is when a male tiger breeds with a female lion and a Liger is when a male lion breeds with a female tiger. Weird.

http://www.greenapple.com/~jorp/amzanim/cama.jpg
aww.. a cama. The result of a lama and a camel. The parents are in the background. Come on guys... you know it's cute.

[applehead]

this is getting to be highly disturbing...

[Irezumi Kiss]

Here's a hybrid you guys might've missed out on:

http://www.hollywoodjesus.com/movie/underworld/24.jpeg

Vampire + Lycanthrope (Werewolf)

Werepire? Vampwolf? Vampanthrope? Lycanpire? :tongue:

[Chu Chi]

"Species are groups of interbreeding natural populations that are reproductively isolated from other such groups."


what is the mechanism for "reproductive isolation": a short dick? crooked teeth?



The isolating mechanism by which reproductive isolation is effected are properties of individuals.



Are these "properties of individuals" physical or mental?

CC

[robotic]

and a zebra + donkey have a = deebra/zonkey (http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050428/ap_on_sc/barbados_zonkey)

no pictures yet, but i'm guessing it looks similar to this donkey/zebra:

http://home.vicnet.net.au/~neils/africa/images/animals/zebra-donk.jpg

ST. THOMAS, Barbados - It's male. But what is it? A zonkey? A deebra? That's the debate in Barbados since a zebra gave birth to a foal sired by a donkey.

Alex was born April 21, a milk-chocolate brown creature with the black stripes of a zebra on his ears and legs. His face looks more like a horse, with a distinctive black "V" patch on the forehead.

"It's really funny and a little bit freaky," said Natalie Harvey, a 29-year-old waitress. "I was stunned to hear about such a weird thing happening here."

While zebra hybrids are not uncommon, most Barbadians have never seen anything like Alex.

His mother, Allison, is one of two zebras brought to the Caribbean island from Botswana, in southern Africa, in the early 1990s. The other is George and both live at Highland, a six-acre ranch where goats, sheep, ducks and donkeys roam free.

George, however, suffered a long illness, and Allison became friendly with a donkey.

"We knew she was with foal but were not sure who the father was," said Philip Atwell, the head of Highland ranch.

As for George, he seems to get along well with his rival's offspring. Ranchers hope Allison will eventually mate with George, who is now healthy, Atwell said.

In the meantime, Alex is the talk of Barbados.

"It's easier for a zebra to give birth to a donkey than for either of these teams to score a goal!" a frustrated fan shouted during a recent soccer match, to roars of laughter.