Skunk-cat Hybrids
Mammalian Hybrids
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“Zee cabbage does not run away from zee corn-beef.”
—Pepé Le Pew
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In terms of older taxonomic classifications, a hybrid between a skunk and a cat would have represented an interfamilial cross, that is, one between the cat family Felidae and the weasel family Mustelidae. A similar cross, which would also formerly have been described as between Felidae and Mustelidae, is cat × marten. However, more recently, Wilson and Mittermeier (2009) rated these two crosses as intersubordinal since they assigned cats to Suborder Feliformia, but both skunks and martens to Suborder Caniformia. Another Feliformia × Caniformia cross, for which there is actually quite a bit of supporting evidence, is cat × raccoon. Raccoons, however, have never been assigned to Mustelidae, but are instead in Procyonidae. A rather poorly attested Feliformia × Caniformia cross is dog × cat. Note that cats are the common element in all these crosses.
Two separate skunk-cat hybrids were reported in the same year of 1960. One of these reports was here taken from the Medicine Hat, Alberta, News (Sep. 2, 1960, p. 2):
The other 1960 article was taken from the Tucson, Arizona, Daily Citizen (Oct. 13, 1960, p. 43):
And this was taken from the Chillicothe, Ohio, Constitution Tribune (Nov. 9, 1951, pp. 1 and 4):
And this follow-up article was also taken from the Constitution Tribune (Nov. 28, 1951):
A later article, also taken from the Constitution Tribune (Mar. 10, 1952), tells of Skitten's demise:
A brief article that appeared in the Harlingen, Texas, Valley Morning Star (Apr. 27, 1940), describes a litter of skunk-like offspring birthed by a housecat:
Cats will adopt baby skunks, as evidenced by the following article. In many cases, adoptions of this sort lead to imprinting, that is, the adopted animal when sexually mature wanting to mate with animals of the same kind as the adopting mother. In the present case, then, the adopted skunks upon reaching maturity would likely choose cats as mates instead of other skunks. This article appeared in the Spokane Daily Chronicle (Apr. 27, 1956, p. 1):
Other stories about cats adopting skunks
Toledo News-Bee, Jun. 9, 1920 >>
Milwaukee Sentinel, Jul. 28, 1929 >>
Dubuque Telegraph-Herald, Jun. 28, 1933 (a case of serendipitous adoption) >>
Milwaukee Sentinel, Oct. 17, 1943 >>
A dog-cow hybrid?
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