Przewalski’s Wild Horse - Europe

[Firestar97]

there's things like dingoes being 2% Himalayan wolf

That's really weird. I assume this means that it probably happened before Dingos appeared in Australia. Or are there any domesticated Dog Breeds that have Genes of that Subspecies?
Makes me also wonder if that means that Dingos were domesticated separately from normal domesticated Dogs. Might at least explain why they can't digest Starch (they can't eat dry Dog Food, they need Meat)

Would be really cool if we could know what that unknown Canid might've looked like

(red lines indicate historic hybridisation)

Really interesting how much there is. Makes me wonder if it is similar with other Animals

 

[Erior]

Lions and snow leopards show something similar, they aren't closely related within Panthera, yet their lineages interbred a while after the split, and now they share certain genes.

 

[Firestar97]

we need a Science Club in the Forum

 

[abigenius]

Don't even know about any Species named Uro

Hahahaha sorry, I speak Spanish and I forget that the name of the animals are different in English sorry

 

[Firestar97]

Hahahaha sorry, I speak Spanish and I forget that the name of the animals are different in English sorry

I always use Wikipedia as a Translator for Species Names if I don't know them
But it's ok because it was a easy Conclusion that you've meant the Aurochs due to Ur being a Synonym for it and Uro being very close to it
Funny by the Way how the actual Topic of the Thread wasn't written about for so many Posts
Now that the Aurochs was mentioned that often I think again how great it would be to have one of those Cattle Breeds in the Game that were bred to resemble it as much as possible

 

[abigenius]

I always use Wikipedia as a Translator for Species

Yes, my level of English is pretty good, but when I wrote that affirmation I was waking up from my bed hahaha, so I was in zombie mode , just was a little forget for my part

 

[Firestar97]

Yes, my level of English is pretty good, but when I wrote that affirmation I was waking up from my bed hahaha, so I was in zombie mode , just was a little forget for my part

I'd rather be in Zombie Mode than Hibernation Mode each Morning currently

 

[Rhinox]

Really interesting how much there is. Makes me wonder if it is similar with other Animals

Hybridisation is absolutely rampant in most (probably all?) animals' evolutionary histories. It's fascinating, but can be a real headache in my field (taxonomy/systematics).

However, hybrid ancestry is used as a red flag in conservation, "it isn't a rare species, it is a mutt". Which is a dangerous misunderstanding of ecology. It is not all about tidy neat separate boxes, it is all gradual diversity that may or may not be interrupted.

This is the hilarious thing, even some of the greatest conservation successes almost certainly have hybrid origins (Pere David's deer is highly likely to have originated from a cross between Eld's deer and the Asiatic Cervus canadensis for example).

Keeping on topic, yes Przewalski's horses weren't native to Europe, but were introduced and were doing pretty well around Chernobyl. Hopefully the population there is alright. They're an interesting one though. While they (and the tarpan) are almost certainly a distinct lineage from domestic horses, there was a consensus a while ago that they were not 'wild'. However, there's been some recent rethinking on that and turns out they may in fact be wild after all. Just as well we have worked hard to conserve them!

 

[Calleo]

Przewalski’s Wild Horses are not native to Europe. However, I believe they have been introduced into a couple of national parks in Eastern Ukraine around Chernobyl etc.

So they’re not really wild but there’s a couple of managed backup populations within Eastern Europe. Much like how pretty much all the wild individuals in Mongolia are also within national parks and managed.

 

[Ounze]

However, hybrid ancestry is used as a red flag in conservation, "it isn't a rare species, it is a mutt". Which is a dangerous misunderstanding of ecology. It is not all about tidy neat separate boxes, it is all gradual diversity that may or may not be interrupted.

As a trained ecologist, generally this is true. However hybridization is a toss up, and when we are talking about endangered species, comes with a number of qualifiers attached.
Many times, the danger with hybridization is that hybrids are often capable of exploiting different niches than either parent species. For instance, Ligers exhibit Hybrid Vigor, they grow much larger than either parent. In the wild, they would out compete both lions and tigers (Used to have have significantly more overlap all through out Persia (modern Iran) these only overlap is the Gir forest, in India), and due to their highly reduced infertility, would unlikely produce animals to replace them. End result being the draining of the big carnivore population.

In addition, there may be new ways that genes interact in hybrids that cause problems for the offspring. The best example of this is us. Many of out immune system genes, including the one that predispose us to diabete, MS, and even cancer were inherited from Neanderthals. Since it can take years of study to identify a single problem allele or gene, best to avoid hybridisation with endangered animals in conservation, especially with related animals from different climates or lifestyles.
Another reason, albiet a more contrived one. The best chance to revive the Wooly Mammoth is back breeding it with Asian Elephants and limited gene editing. However that alters our ability to breed Asian Elephants for conservation, and the backbred/hybrids would cause lowered survival chances for their descendents if they got released into SE Asia. It would require a lot of dedicated support and a lot of genetic input to ensure a sufficient sized founder population, all genetic material that is thereby lost to Asian Elephant conservation since the two programs are breeding for two polar opposite ecologies.

 

[NZFanatic]

So they’re not really wild

I'd disagree with that - national parks and reserves tend to be extremely hands-off. The animals are monitored but are otherwise left to their own devices. You wouldn't call the Serengeti herds "not really wild".

 

[Erior]

As a trained ecologist, generally this is true. However hybridization is a toss up, and when we are talking about endangered species, comes with a number of qualifiers attached.
Many times, the danger with hybridization is that hybrids are often capable of exploiting different niches than either parent species. For instance, Ligers exhibit Hybrid Vigor, they grow much larger than either parent. In the wild, they would out compete both lions and tigers (Used to have have significantly more overlap all through out Persia (modern Iran) these only overlap is the Gir forest, in India), and due to their highly reduced infertility, would unlikely produce animals to replace them. End result being the draining of the big carnivore population.

In addition, there may be new ways that genes interact in hybrids that cause problems for the offspring. The best example of this is us. Many of out immune system genes, including the one that predispose us to diabete, MS, and even cancer were inherited from Neanderthals. Since it can take years of study to identify a single problem allele or gene, best to avoid hybridisation with endangered animals in conservation, especially with related animals from different climates or lifestyles.
Another reason, albiet a more contrived one. The best chance to revive the Wooly Mammoth is back breeding it with Asian Elephants and limited gene editing. However that alters our ability to breed Asian Elephants for conservation, and the backbred/hybrids would cause lowered survival chances for their descendents if they got released into SE Asia. It would require a lot of dedicated support and a lot of genetic input to ensure a sufficient sized founder population, all genetic material that is thereby lost to Asian Elephant conservation since the two programs are breeding for two polar opposite ecologies.

Still, reproductive isolation tends to happen when populations of both parent species are healthy; just gotta take a look at how wolves and coyotes keep to themselves in regular conditions, but mingle when "lonely" (so to speak). And, bringing up panthers, lions and snow leopards show signs of their lineages having interbred to the point they share certain genes not present in the rest of Panthera, despite lions and leopards having split from each other quite recently. It happens.

The genes we inherited from Neanderthals were also selected for in Ice Age conditions, as, well 25 thousand years ellapsed between the extinction of Neanderthals as a separate entity, and the end of the Ice Ages and the onset of agriculture. And, to link Neanderthals to cancer is a tad farfetched, as cancer IS widespread in multicelular life. Most people get cancer long after reproductive age, so it is a gene that won't be selected against.

 

[Mikmuscle]

Przewalski’s Wild Horses have been introduced to Hortobagy National Park in eastern Hungary.

 

[Ounze]

The genes we inherited from Neanderthals were also selected for in Ice Age conditions, as, well 25 thousand years ellapsed between the extinction of Neanderthals as a separate entity, and the end of the Ice Ages and the onset of agriculture. And, to link Neanderthals to cancer is a tad farfetched, as cancer IS widespread in multicelular life. Most people get cancer long after reproductive age, so it is a gene that won't be selected against.

Some of them were, but most were effectively neutral. They only increase the chances of something developing. So it only gets selected against if it long term selected for.
The Neanderthal and Cancer link is well documented. While cancer is indeed widespread, a number of alleles from immunity related genes we inherited from Neanderthals are faulty, and increase our risk of developing cancer. Either by increasing the odds of formation, or reducing the bodies ability to cull it before it is detectable.
Neanderthals in turn had them due to a propensity for smaller social groups, and less intergroup mobility. In turn resulting in less new members into populations, and high degree of inbreeding.

Still, reproductive isolation tends to happen when populations of both parent species are healthy; just gotta take a look at how wolves and coyotes keep to themselves in regular conditions, but mingle when "lonely" (so to speak). And, bringing up panthers, lions and snow leopards show signs of their lineages having interbred to the point they share certain genes not present in the rest of Panthera, despite lions and leopards having split from each other quite recently. It happens.

Yes it does happen, and the goal with management is to prevent hybridization that results in maladaptation to their environment. For instance, crossing a Bengal Tiger with a Siberian Tiger results in an animal that would not do well in either wild environment. Since we largely cannot predict the results of hybridization between species and evolutionary significant units (subspecies/populations) we try to avoid it for conservation purposes.