Genetic Research Shows No Hybridization Between Mexican Wolves and Domestic Dogs

“This study, showing no hybridization with domestic dogs found within this population, was important because it again confirms the genetic purity of the Mexican wolf,” said Rinkevich, who is often involved in the listing and delisting of endangered and threatened species in her role as an endangered-species biologist. “That genetic information is important to conservation efforts.”

The study by Fitak, Rinkevich and Culver netted genetic data from the largest population of Mexican wolves that is now publicly available for all geneticists to use in future research. For Fitak, that might mean delving deeper into the amount of inbreeding in the Mexican wolf as the captive breeding program continues. Until then, an important question about one endangered species, the Mexican wolf, finally has been answered.

Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2018-06-genetics-purity-mexican-wolf.html#jCp

The Mexican wolf has been listed as an endangered species since 1976. Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

A captive breeding program has brought the Mexican wolf from the brink of extinction to current population estimates of no fewer than 114 Mexican wolves living in the wild. The breeding of such a small population brings with it genetic…Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2018-06-genetics-purity-mexican-wolf.html#jCp