The wonders of nature never cease. While we are starting to understand more and more about evolution we continue to learn by watching different species of animals. One of the most interesting occurrences is when different species of animals breed together. These hybrid breeds are seen by some as an abomination and others as pure evolution. After all, many people today are a sort of hybrid (as a blend of Neanderthal and Homosapien). Read on to find out more about the latest hybrid discovery.
The beluga whale is a large mammal weighing around 1,400kg. It is light in color and often known as the white whale as it is the only whale of this light hue. The narwhal or unicorn of the sea is a medium-sized whale of about 940kg with a large tusk protruding from its head. Recently a hybrid was discovered, now being referred to as a narluga.
The narluga was a remarkable discovery for many reasons. It is the first known example of these two breeds of whale mating. It had grey skin, beluga like flippers but a narwhal like tail. While it did not have a tusk it did have one very strange detail. Belugas have 40 teeth that they use to catch fish, narwhals have none, they feed by suction, although that large tusk is technically one big tooth. Insanely the narluga had 18 teeth, many in a spiral form, resembling the narwhal tusk! This incredible creation shows one possible result of hybrid mating.
The strange teeth formation meant that it likely couldn’t feed like its mother or father and would have had to eat from the seabed floor instead of the open ocean. It is a miracle it survived to adulthood. The narluga is not considered a form of evolution yet, just a strange occurrence. For it to be considered evolution it has to happen many times and the resulting animal has to be fertile too.
