Scientists have confirmed the existence of the world’s first dog-fox hybrid, nicknamed “dogxim”.
The unique animal was found in Brazil in 2021, after being hit by a car and rescued by an animal shelter. The staff at the shelter were puzzled by the appearance and behavior of the creature, which looked like a medium-sized dog with large ears, a long snout and a black-brown coat, but acted like a fox, rejecting dog food and preferring live rodents.
To solve the mystery, genetic tests were performed on the animal, which revealed that she had 76 chromosomes, a combination of the 74 chromosomes of a pampas fox (Lycalopex gymnocercus), a South American canid species, and the 78 chromosomes of a domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris).
The genetic tests proved that the dogxim was a first-generation hybrid between the two species, which diverged about 6.7 million years ago and belong to different genera. This is surprising, because such hybridization is extremely rare and usually impossible among canids that are so distantly related.
“She was an amazing animal, really a hybrid between a pampas fox and a dog,” Flávia Ferrari, a conservationist that worked with the animal during her recovery, told The Telegraph.
“It was not as docile as a dog, but it also lacked the aggressiveness expected of a wild canid when handled.
The dogxim was moved to a conservation center in south Brazil, where she was studied by scientists who published their findings in the journal Animals in August 2023. They named her “dogxim”, a portmanteau of of “dog” and “xim” from graxaim-do-campo (the Portuguese common name for the pampas fox).
The researchers also described her physical and behavioral characteristics, which showed traits of both dogs and foxes. For example, she had brown eyes and a black nose like a dog, but large ears and a long tail like a fox. She also barked like a dog, but was shy and timid like a fox.
Unfortunately, the dogxim died under mysterious circumstances earlier this year, before the study was published. The cause and date of her death are unknown, as no autopsy was performed and no official report was issued by the conservation center. The Brazilian government has opened an investigation into the matter, as the dogxim was a rare and valuable specimen for scientific research. The scientists who studied her expressed their sadness and frustration over her death, as they hoped to learn more about her biology and ecology.
The dogxim’s discovery raises many questions about the evolution and conservation of canids in South America. How common is this hybridization between dogs and pampas foxes? How does it affect the genetic diversity and survival of both species? How does it impact the ecosystem and biodiversity of the region? These are some of the questions that future research will try to answer, using the dogxim’s DNA samples and other evidence. The dogxim may be gone, but her legacy lives on as the world’s first dog-fox hybrid.
