Hybrid iguana - the genetic miracle of the Galapagos Islands

As is known from biology, hybrids of closely related species, although they are born quite viable, but, as a rule, cannot produce offspring, that is, they are sterile. This is partly because each species has a different number of chromosomes and there is a violation of meiosis (germ cell division), as well as for other reasons. Several examples of closely related hybrids that are not capable of breeding can be cited: mule and hinnies (descendants of horses and donkeys), zebroid (obtained from crossing zebras and horses), nar (hybrid of one-humped and two-humped camel), peesley (hybrid of white and brown bear) Honorik (mink and ferret cub).

But there are rare exceptions to this rule. One of them is the hybrid iguanas that live in the Galapagos Islands. This archipelago, located west of South America in the equator region, has many unique inhabitants: penguins that live closest to the equator, giant turtles, blue-footed boobies, and marine iguanas. And now, hybrid iguanas have added to this list.

On the islands, hybrids of marine and land iguanas were discovered. The ranges of these two species intersect in the southern part of the Galapagos Islands. It was here that individuals were discovered that are hybrid. Prior to this, it was believed that Conolophus and Amblyrhynchus belonging to different genera could not interbreed. Now, analyzing the discovered individuals, scientists have suggested that they arose due to a change in the habitat of marine iguanas. The whole point is a violation of the usual circulation of sea currents in the area. As a result of catastrophic changes, there was a decrease in the reserves of algae, which were the main food of marine iguanas. Due to hunger, they were forced to seek food on land, where they began to spend enough time in order to get to know their land relatives more closely. As the experts found out, the fathers of the hybrids that appeared, of which more than 20 individuals were found, were marine iguanas, and the mothers were land iguanas. Interestingly, the hybrid individuals combined all the best that their parents had. For example, marine iguanas have sharp claws in order to clutch at the cliffs, while ground-based individuals have no claws. They cannot climb cacti-prickly pear cacti, the fruits of which are eaten, they have to wait until the fruit itself falls down. Hybrid individuals have sharp claws, so they can easily climb cacti and eat underwater algae. It turns out that hybrids with the same success can live both on land and in sea water.

Hybrid iguanas are mostly sterile, that is, incapable of reproduction, as is often the case in such cases. But what is surprising, scientists discovered the F2 hybrid - a second-generation iguana, that is, descendants of F1 hybrids. It turns out that some hybrids still managed to leave healthy offspring.

The wildlife world of the Galapagos Islands is largely endemic, that is, the species inhabiting them are found only here and nowhere else. Now the archipelago is also famous for its amazing natural hybrids that can produce offspring. It is likely that after a certain time it will be possible to ascertain the formation of a new species of iguanas, whose homeland will be the Galapagos Islands.