Re: Does a fox/wolf hybrid really exist?

Dear Sebastian,

Yes, I think you're right. I can't find any record of viable fox/wolf
hybrids, nor any record of  mating between the two species. Molecular
(mitochondrial DNA) phylogenies do place the Canis (wolf) genus quite
a long way from the red fox-like dogs (the genera Vulpes and
Fennecus), and often quite a long way from the American foxes (if you
haven't already got it, Reference 1 is a good place to start for
canid phylogenetics). A recent paper (Reference 2) suggests that
wolves and dogs, which are members of the same genus, don't hybridise
in the wild anywhere near as often as was thought, because the
behaviours of the two species are so different. As a result, I think
the probability of fox/wolf hybridisation is very low indeed.

Hope this helps,

Rich Grenyer