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A HARP SEAL × HOODED SEAL HYBRID
Author(s) -
Kovacs Kit M.,
Lydersen Christian,
Hammill Mike O.,
White Bradley N.,
Wilson Paul J.,
Malik Sobia
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
marine mammal science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.723
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1748-7692
pISSN - 0824-0469
DOI - 10.1111/j.1748-7692.1997.tb00652.x
Subject(s) - phoca , biology , harp , context (archaeology) , zoology , mitochondrial dna , seal (emblem) , mating , evolutionary biology , ecology , geography , paleontology , archaeology , genetics , physics , quantum mechanics , gene
A bstract In this study we report the first documentation of mating between harp ( Phoca groenlandica ) and hooded seals ( Cystophora cristata ). The production of this hybrid was quite unusual, being the result of a cross between parents of different genera which are morphologically dissimilar and have quite different mating behavior and dramatically different body sizes. The molecular techniques (mtDNA and macrosatellite nuclear DNA banding patterns) used in this study will undoubtedly be applied widely to many different taxa in the near future, allowing us to re‐examine many suspected cases of hybridization among marine mammals and, in a larger context, the meaning of the species concept.