Hybrid facts for kids

Petunia × atkinsiana, also called Petunia × hybrida, is often grown in gardens.

A hybrid is a living thing, like an animal or a plant, that is created by joining two different types of parents. Think of it like mixing two different ingredients to make something new! These parents usually belong to different species or different groups within the same species.

What is a Hybrid?

Hybrids are made when two different kinds of animals or plants have babies together. This is a type of reproduction. For example, a lion and a tiger can have a baby called a liger. Or, two different types of flowers can be crossed to create a new kind of flower. This often happens naturally in the wild, but people also create hybrids on purpose.

Amazing Animal Hybrids

One of the most famous animal hybrids is the mule. A mule is born when a female horse and a male donkey have a baby. Mules are very strong and helpful, often used for carrying heavy loads. They have some traits from horses and some from donkeys. However, most mules cannot have babies of their own. They are what we call sterile. This means they can't reproduce.

Other animal hybrids include:

• Liger: A mix of a male lion and a female tiger. Ligers are the biggest cats in the world!
• Zebroid: A cross between a zebra and any other horse-like animal, like a horse or a donkey.

Wonderful Plant Hybrids

Many of the plants you see in gardens or eat as food are hybrids! Plant breeders often cross different types of plants to create new ones with better features. For example, they might want a flower with a new color, a fruit that tastes sweeter, or a plant that can resist diseases.

Some common plant hybrids are:

• Corn: Many types of corn grown today are hybrids, made to produce more food.
• Roses: Garden roses often come from crossing different wild rose species to get beautiful blooms.
• Mints: Peppermint is a natural hybrid of spearmint and watermint.

Why Are Hybrids Important?

Hybrids can be very useful! When two different species or types of plants or animals mix, their offspring can sometimes get the best traits from both parents. This can lead to:

• Stronger plants: Hybrids might be tougher against diseases or bad weather.
• Better food: Hybrid crops can produce more food or taste better.
• New varieties: Hybrids add to the amazing variety of life on Earth.

Sometimes, over a very long time, new species can even form from hybrids between two other species. This is a part of how life on Earth changes and grows.

Can Hybrids Have Babies?

As mentioned with the mule, not all hybrids can have babies. When a hybrid cannot reproduce, we say it is sterile. This happens because the parents' genes are too different, and their chromosomes (the parts of cells that carry genes) don't match up perfectly during reproduction.

However, many plant hybrids are not sterile and can have their own babies. This is why plant breeders can keep creating new types of hybrid plants.