What’s a “Dogxim”, The World’s Only Hybrid Animal That’s Stirring Up Serious Scientific Worries

Daily Galaxy ^ | July 10, 2025 | Arezki Amiri

[Red Badger]

A mysterious creature found in Brazil has scientists questioning everything they know about wild canids. With a strange mix of dog and fox traits, this rare hybrid is raising serious concerns.

Dogxim' Was Discovered After A Car Accident In 2021. Credit: Instagram/forrest.galante | The Daily Galaxy --Great Discoveries Channel

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A strange discovery in southern Brazil has left the scientific community stunned. In 2021, a female canid was found near Vacaria, a city in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, after being struck by a car. What seemed like an ordinary accident quickly turned into an extraordinary puzzle. Veterinarians and scientists were perplexed by the animal’s unusual appearance—one that did not fit the profile of any known species.

A Genetic Puzzle: Dog or Fox?

Initial examinations showed that this animal was neither a domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris) nor a wild fox, but something in between. Further analysis revealed an astonishing truth: the creature was a hybrid, a combination of a domestic dog and a pampas fox (Lycalopex gymnocercus), a species native to South America’s grasslands.

This discovery, published in Animals, has now been confirmed as the world’s first scientifically recognized hybrid between these two species, which diverged from a common ancestor roughly 6.7 million years ago.

Researchers at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul used advanced genetic techniques to uncover that the hybrid, named the dogxim, had 76 chromosomes—a unique number that lies precisely between the 78 chromosomes of domestic dogs and the 74 of pampas foxes. The animal’s genetic composition raised more questions than answers, leaving many to wonder about the implications for wildlife conservation.

The Dogxim: A New Breed of Canid?

While the dogxim’s genetic makeup was extraordinary, its physical characteristics were equally remarkable. The animal had the elongated snout and thick, coarse fur of a pampas fox, but also displayed canine traits such as barking and a playful nature. Despite this, it rejected processed foods like kibble and preferred eating live rodents, a behavior more commonly associated with wild foxes.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DBFm6hABb_i/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=56a75ca7-7132-4093-817a-59e6ba81b3dc&img_index=1

Flávia Ferrari, an environmental advocate who cared for the animal during its rehabilitation, described it as “not a dog, not a fox, but an incredible hybrid.” She noted that its personality was timid and cautious, unlike a typical dog, but it lacked the usual aggression of a wild canid when handled. Unfortunately, the dogxim passed away in 2023, just months after its discovery, leaving researchers to reflect on the broader implications of its existence.

The Growing Risk of Interspecies Hybridization

Scientists are concerned that the dogxim’s birth is not a one-off anomaly but part of a wider trend of increasing hybridization between wild canids and domestic dogs. As human activity expands into once-pristine environments, wildlife species like the pampas fox are increasingly coming into contact with domestic dogs. The consequences of these interactions could be far-reaching, particularly in terms of genetic changes and disease transmission.

Canid with unusual phenotypic characters investigated herein (A) and pampas fox (Lycalopex gymnocercus) (B). Credits: Thales Renato Ochotorena de Freitas / Bruna Elenara Szynwelski

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Jacqueline Boyd, an expert in animal sciences at the University of Nottingham Trent, pointed out that the presence of the dogxim likely reflects the growing overlap between human settlements and natural habitats. She warned that such hybridization raises concerns about disease transmission, as domestic dogs can carry diseases that could be passed on to wild species, putting their populations at risk. Furthermore, the genetic introgression—where traits from one species infiltrate the gene pool of another—could threaten the survival of the pampas fox and other wild canids in the region.

The Impact of Hybridization on Wildlife

The discovery of the dogxim has sparked urgent discussions about the potential impact of hybridization on wild canid populations in South America. If hybrid animals like the dogxim can reproduce, this could alter the genetic makeup and behavior of native species like the pampas fox, potentially threatening their survival. Experts worry that such hybrids could undermine the integrity of wild populations by introducing domesticated traits, reducing genetic diversity, and disrupting natural behaviors.

Researchers are now calling for further studies to explore the long-term effects of hybridization on both the genetics and behavior of wild canids. While the dogxim’s case may be rare, it signals a growing ecological concern in a world where human encroachment is reshaping natural habitats. As wildlife faces increasing pressures from urbanization and infrastructure development, the full impact of hybridization on biodiversity remains to be seen.

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TOPICS: History; Outdoors; Pets/Animals; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: canid; chromosomes; cryptobiology; godsgravesglyphs; helixmakemineadouble; pampasfox

[BenLurkin]

This will make fox hunts very confusing.

[DariusBane]

I for one am panicking.

[HYPOCRACY]

So a feral dog mated with a fox. The horror. Island of Dr. Morons!

[Tell It Right]

I’ve met women whom I thought at first were foxes who turned out to be dogs.

[alternatives?]

Some male dog or fox got too horny. What are you going to do?

[Openurmind]

Since I can remember there have been cases of dogs and coyotes cross breeding out here in the southwest. Usually a male coyote with a female dog. We had one that was a Shepard mix. The appearance was Shepard but it was smaller and lighter of frame with a bushier tail and behaved like a Coyote. Extremely intelligent animal, one of the smartest dogs we ever owned but a bit unpredictable and would switch to wild in an instant when in certain situations.

[ClearCase_guy]

They should release the full name and address of this strange creature. Yes, I think they should dox the Dogxim.

[Jamestown1630]

Maybe it will be like a mule, and able to reproduce only very rarely, if at all.

[ZOOKER]

Incredibly dangerous, I say.

If one should ever hook up with a chupacabra, who knows what could happen?

[Carry_Okie]

As human activity expands into once-pristine environments, wildlife species like the pampas fox are increasingly coming into contact with domestic dogs. The consequences of these interactions could be far-reaching, particularly in terms of genetic changes and disease transmission.

This syllogism of "pristine environments" as supposedly never having had people present is an ignorant crock. There is no habitable part of this planet that hasn't had people at one time or another. Just because they aren't there now, doesn't mean there never were, nor does it mean that if people were to go there it would therefore be destructive.

There is no such thing as "pristine" just because it is unoccupied.

[Tucker39]

Hybrids like mules, etc., are sterile and cannot sexually reproduce; if that is concerning the people involved in South America.

[Red Badger]

[Red Badger]

Dox the Fox in Box with socks.......................

[Teacher317]

To quote Dr Ian Malcolm from the Jurassic Park series: “Life will find a way”

[ETCM]

I’ve met women whom I thought at first were foxes who turned out to be dogs.

Best to have them leave before you sober up...

[BansheeBill]

Now, the big question:

Can it be crossed with a labradoodle?

[Alas Babylon!]

While the dogxim’s case may be rare, it signals a growing ecological concern in a world where human encroachment is reshaping natural habitats.

What unscientific global warming mankind bad we're all gonna die BS is this?

Indians have been living in South America for at least 13,000 years and accompanied by domestic dogs. In fact, prior to Columbus, the human population in some parts of South America rivals what it is today.

[sphinx]

This discovery, published in Animals, has now been confirmed as the world’s first scientifically recognized hybrid between these two species, which diverged from a common ancestor roughly 6.7 million years ago.

6.7 million years is a blink of the eye. Of course related "species" can interbreed -- but if they can, I suppose they should still be classified as "subspecies." In populations of any size, it would take a loooong time to completely separate.

A somewhat related question: many years ago, when I was in school, the change in coloration of the wings of moths in Manchester, England was offered up as a textbook example of natural selection and evolution as observed in real time, not hypothesized from surviving bone fragments and the fossil record. You may recall the story. The wings of such and such species of moth had been mostly white. As the industrial revolution pumped vast increases of coal soot into the air, it darkened the bark of trees (as well as producing noticeable respiratory and other problems for humans). Moths with white wings stood out as easy prey. Very rapidly, local naturalists -- and in high Victorian England, half the people with an education fancied themselves as naturalists -- noticed that the coloration had changed. Most moths now had dark wings, presumably because that gave them a bit of camouflage. The moths with white wings were spotted and eaten relatively rapidly, and white coloration became a rare variant.

The genes for white coloration, however, would remain in the population, though they might become increasingly rare. It would take a long time to breed them out entirely via natural selection.

So the question: England has imposed environmental controls on coal emissions. The soot darkening the bark of trees is presumably a think of the past. What has happened to the moths' wings? I don't recall ever seeing a followup report.

The cleanup is still of relatively short duration -- but so was the massive increase in coal soot from the early industrial revolution in the late 18th and early nineteenth centuries until the effect on moths was spotted in the Victorian era. The cleanup would date largely from the 1960's and 70's; that, at least, is when the U.S. began to crack down. I'm guessing that the time period on the downslope might be comparable to the timeframe of the cleanup era.

[CTyank]

You win the internet for the day!