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About Dana Krempels, Ph.D.
Expertise
I'm an evolutionary biologist with a passion for animals. Ask about natural history, behavior, ecology, evolution. PLEASE NOTE:

If you have found an "orphaned" wild animal or bird:
Please don't waste time asking questions on the internet, as the answers may come too late. DO NOT FEED THE ANIMAL, and DO NOT HANDLE IT unless it is in imminent danger. (Many wild "orphans" are not orphans at all!) If you are absolutely sure it is orphaned, keep it warm and quiet, and find a LICENSED WILDLIFE REHABILITATOR HERE. Don't try to raise the baby yourself. Many a well-intentioned rescuer will do more harm than good, especially with baby birds and baby rabbits.

I.D. OF MYSTERY ANIMALS
Without geographic location, time of day and habitat, I can't help. A clear picture is always best.

I.D. OF MYSTERY ANIMAL SOUNDS
It's impossible for me to I.D. an animal call without hearing it myself.

COMPARATIVE STRENGTHS
I'm not an expert on comparative strengths of different animals (more complicated than you might think!) nor bite forces.

FIGHTING ANIMALS
I refuse to answer "Which of these two animals--X or X--would win in a fight?".

These hypothetical matchups range from impossible (Grizzly Bears and Gorillas don't even occupy the same continent.) to ridiculous (Someone asked me "Who would win a fight between a Great White Shark and a tiger?").

The vast majority of animals--even the fierce and powerful--are not as warlike as Homo sapiens, and it's childish to project our aggressiveness onto them.

Experience
I have been the fortunate caregiver to a group of Black-tailed Jackrabbits rescued from the Miami International Airport, and not releasable in this area because they are not native. I also have rehabbed and released Eastern Cottontails, and am in contact with many very experienced wildlife rescuers who regularly handle injured or orphaned rabbits and hares.

Organizations
House Rabbit Society

Publications
Exotic DVM journal

Education/Credentials
I have a Ph.D. in Biology, with main areas of expertise in evolutionary biology, genetics, botany, and ecology.

You are here: Experts > Animals/Pets > Veterinary Medicine > Wild Animals > Can cheetahs and leopards interbreed?

Wild Animals - Can cheetahs and leopards interbreed?

Expert: Dana Krempels, Ph.D. - 10/28/2009

Question
QUESTION:
Hello there,

Can cheetahs and arabian leopards interbreed? is there any record(s) of a successful attemept in breeding cheetahs and leopards? if yes is an answer, how such an interbreed possibility can be encouraged?

Many thanks

Tariq

ANSWER: Dear Tariq,

No, the two species (Acionyx jubatus, the cheetah and Panthera pardus, the leopard) are quite distantly related and are not genetically capable of producing viable, fertile offspring together. There have been no confirmed attempts of breeding these two cats, which have very different behaviors and morphology (which might in itself provide a barrier to hybridization), and certainly no confirmed hybrids.

The fabled "King Cheetah", once believed to be a leopard x cheetah hybrid, turned out to be merely a color variant of the cheetah (which shows just how labile coat color patterns can be!). You can see very neat pictures of these beautiful cats here:

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3...

Hope that helps.

Dana

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION:
Dear Dana,

Thank you very much for the pictures and the prompt reply. To further disuss my question, I have been reading and asking around about my question for sometime. And, Wikipedia (I know that it's not the best source) mentions that an attempt of interbreeding a puma and a leopard was a success in Germany. Plus, It is believed that a bree of domestic cats originated in India as a result of an interbreed between an leopard and a cat (possibly a black cat). Would this increases the chance of a "yes" to my question?

Thank you with regards

Tariq

Answer
Dear Tariq,

I was able to locate an article, published in 1963, that shows the karyotypes of nine species of Felids, including cheetahs and leopards. Here is the citation:

Karyological Studies of Nine Species of Felidae. T. C. Hsu, Helen H. Rearden and George F. Luquette
The American Naturalist, Vol. 97, No. 895 (Jul. - Aug., 1963), pp. 225-234
Published by: The University of Chicago Press for The American Society of Naturalists

I can't find a way to attach an image to this answer, but I actually snagged jpgs of the two karyotypes in question, if you are interested in seeing them. Just let me know. In short, they are quite similar, and apparently show a great degree of homology, despite the very different appearances of the two species/genera.

The researchers of that paper--though they were working with really dated techniques back in 1963--believe that the Felidae chromosomes are homologous which suggests that hybridization could be possible among the various species. This would depend on just how much synteny (i.e., homology of genes across the individual chromosomes) there is between two species, and whether a hybrid would lack certain critical information because of a deletion or duplication error in the hybrid condition.

I don't know if anyone has ever tried to hybridize cheetahs and leopards. But I would think at this stage in both species history, it would be very difficult to convince anyone to waste a valuable cheetah's gametes in trying to hybridize with a leopard. Perhaps a male cheetah and a female leopard. But it's not always easy to breed these cats in captivity.

If you have access to the individuals, though, it would be interesting to see what would result. (I hope not a mauled cheetah!).

So I guess I'd equivocate my answer to....maybe. :)

Dana

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