This summer, my family and I got a new pet cat named Auggie. I used to be more of a dog person, so I wasn’t sure about having a cat. But Auggie is awesome, and we love him! We got him from a rescue shelter, and they think he’s a mix of Siamese and tabby cat. Just like there are different kinds of dogs, there are different kinds of cats too!
One day, someone named Nina asked me a fun question: “Can a shark and a dolphin have babies?” It’s interesting to think about what a mix of a shark and a dolphin would be like. Would it be playful like a dolphin but have sharp teeth like a shark? It’s fun to imagine!
We can think of other funny animal mixes too, like a dog and a cat. What would we call that? A cog or a dat? But can these animals really have babies together? Let’s find out!
Even though some animals look different, they can still have babies if they are the same species. For example, a Labrador and a Poodle can have puppies together because they are both dogs. But a dog and a cat can’t have babies because they are different species.
Now, let’s talk about sharks and dolphins. Sharks have gills and breathe underwater, while dolphins have to come up to the surface to breathe air. Dolphins are mammals, which means they give live birth and feed their babies milk. Sharks are more like fish and usually lay eggs. Because they are so different, sharks and dolphins can’t have babies together.
Even though different species usually can’t have babies, there are some rare exceptions. For example, a Coywolf is a mix between a coyote and a wolf. There’s also a Pizzly, which is part polar bear and part grizzly bear. And a Wholphin is a mix of a bottlenose dolphin and a false killer whale. These mixes are rare and interesting!
Even when different species can have babies, those babies often have trouble having their own babies when they grow up. That’s why scientists still consider them different species.
So, if you want to know if two animals can have babies, check if they are the same species. But remember, there are always some surprises in nature! Thanks for the fun question, Nina! Stay curious, and keep exploring the mysteries around us!
Animal Mix and Match: Create your own imaginary animal by mixing two different animals. Draw a picture of your new animal and give it a name. Think about what special features it might have from each parent animal. Share your creation with the class and explain why you chose those two animals.
Species Sorting Game: Gather pictures of different animals (you can cut them out from magazines or print them). Sort these animals into groups based on whether they are the same species or different species. Discuss with a friend why some animals can have babies together and others cannot.
Observation Walk: Go on a nature walk with a family member or friend. Try to spot different animals, like birds, insects, or pets. Discuss whether you think any of these animals could have babies together and why. Remember to think about what makes them the same or different species.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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(phone ringing) – Hi, it’s Doug! So, this summer, my family and I got a cat. Now, I’ve always been a dog person, so I wasn’t so sure about this. But he’s awesome, and we love him! His name is Auggie, and we got him from a rescue shelter. One of the things I found interesting is that just like there are different kinds of dogs, there are also different kinds of cats. The rescue shelter we got him from thinks he’s a mix, part Siamese and part tabby cat.
Well, someone named Nina has a question about a totally different kind of animal mix. Let’s give her a call now. (phone ringing) – Hi Doug. – Hi Nina! – I have a question for you. Can a shark and a dolphin have babies? – Oh, that’s an interesting question! What would we even call a shark-dolphin mix? A sholphin? A dark? This is fun to think about. I mean, both of them live in the ocean, and they even have some similarities in their body shapes. They both have fins and snout-like noses, and they’re both such interesting creatures too!
It’s fun to imagine what a shark-dolphin would be like. Would it be playful and friendly like dolphins, but just with ferocious teeth? Since we’re talking about this, it makes you wonder about other animal combinations too, like could a dog and a cat have babies? And what would we call that? A cog? Or a dat? What about a giraffe and a kangaroo? A girafferoo? A kangaraffe? Could they have babies?
Now, maybe you’re thinking no way. All these animals are just too different from one another. I mean, a dog and a cat? They’re two totally different kinds of animals. There’s just no such thing as an animal that’s part dog, part cat. But wait a second, because you might have seen or heard of dogs like this. This is a labradoodle. It’s part Labrador Retriever, part Poodle. Or this one, part Australian Shepherd, part Poodle. People call this an Aussiepoo.
Retrievers, Poodles, and Australian Shepherds are all different kinds of dogs. They look different from each other. So, is it possible for two different-looking animals to have babies? Before I say anything more, now would be a good time to pause the video and discuss.
Okay, you ready? Well, even though two different kinds of dogs like a Bulldog or a Dalmatian might look very different from each other, they’re both dogs, and that’s what really matters. This is something scientists have thought a lot about. When people talk about different kinds of animals, scientists have noticed that sometimes, people mean different things when they use that term. For example, Dalmatians, Labradors, and Poodles are all different kinds of dogs, but scientists call those varieties because they’re all still kinds of dogs; it’s like they’re just different versions of dogs.
A dog itself is what scientists call a species. As long as two animals are the same species, they can have babies together. So, a Dalmatian and a Bulldog? No problem. It’s a Bullmation. But a Dalmatian and a Siamese cat? Sorry to say, it just can’t happen because cats are a totally different species from dogs. Cats and dogs are just too different from each other.
For any of you who’ve heard of DNA before, this has to do with the fact that their DNA is what’s too different. So now, what about a shark and a dolphin? Well, even though they do have some things in common, when you look really closely, you start to see some big differences. Sharks have gills and can breathe underwater. Most of them lay eggs and have a lot in common with fish. Dolphins, on the other hand, have to come to the surface to breathe air, and when they have babies, they don’t lay eggs; they give live birth to their young. They even give milk to their young. Sharks don’t do anything like that. Dolphins aren’t fish at all; they’re mammals.
So, I’m sorry to say, on the question of whether a shark and a dolphin could have babies together, the answer is no. No such thing could exist. Sharks and dolphins aren’t the same species at all, not even close. But in case you’re disappointed, I can share something you might find interesting or maybe even a little weird.
You see, even though two different species aren’t supposed to be able to have babies, people have discovered that there are a few species of animals out there in the wild that are just similar enough to each other that sometimes, they can have babies together, like this. This is what’s called a Coywolf. It’s a cross between a Coyote and a Wolf. Or check this out. Can you guess what this is? It’s part Polar bear, part Grizzly bear. People call it a Pizzly.
Okay, here’s one more. While dolphins can’t have babies with sharks, this one is part Bottlenose Dolphin, part False Killer Whale. It’s called a Wholphin. It turns out that a False Killer Whale is just similar enough to a Bottlenose Dolphin that even though they’re different species, they do occasionally have babies together. It’s just incredibly rare.
Now, what is going on with these examples? Each of these animals is technically a different species from each other. Polar bears are considered a different species from grizzly bears. But should they be? I mean, if they can have babies together, wouldn’t that make them the same species? That’s a good question and one that scientists sometimes debate.
Here’s the thing though: all of these babies, like Pizzlies or Wolphins, usually have trouble producing babies themselves once they grow up. That’s one reason why scientists do still think of things like polar bears and grizzly bears as different species.
So, in summary, if you want to know whether two different-looking animals can have babies, usually you can tell just by finding out whether they’re the same species. But there are some interesting exceptions to this. It’s not always true.
That’s all for this week’s question. Thanks, Nina, for asking it! Now, for the next episode, I reached into my question jar and picked out three questions sent into us that I’m thinking about answering next. When this video’s done playing, you’ll get to vote on one. You can choose from, “Why do mosquitoes bite people?”, “How does a cactus grow so tall?”, or “Has a shooting star ever landed on someone?” and what is a shooting star?
So, submit your vote when the video’s over. I want to hear from all of you watching. There are mysteries all around us. Stay curious, and see you next week!
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