Ocelot-cougar Hybrids
The cougar (Puma concolor) has 38 chromosomes, whereas the ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) has only 36 chromosomes. Nevertheless, ocelot-cougar hybrids were reported by G Dubost & J Royere in 1993 in "Zoo Biology 12". The parents were a captive male ocelot and a captive female puma sharing an enclosure in a private collection in French Guiana. They had shared their enclosure since 1986 and had been raised together. The ocelot is one-third the size of the cougar, but the pair produced four litters of hybrid offspring between 1990 and 1992 and possibly an earlier litter in 1989.
In September 1989, the 3.5-year-old cougar appeared to be pregnant, but was assumed to have miscarried. In May 1990, she gave birth to three hybrid cubs (two males and a female), which all died within a day due to lack of maternal care. In October 1990, she produced a male and a female cub, which were hand-reared, but both died between five and 12 days old due to lack of suitable milk formula. In 1991, three female hybrid cubs were born, but failed to survive. In 1992, a fourth litter was born, but were eaten by the mother.
The body size of the cubs was intermediate between cougar cubs and ocelot cubs. Their spot patterns bore more resemblance to the ocelot than to the juvenile pattern of a cougar. The markings were similar to that of an ocelot but with less continuous on the back and with less pronounced throat/belly markings. The backs of their legs were darker and unspotted (a cougar-like trait) and they had ringed tails.
A subsequent cub born in French Guiana apparently survived. The adult female ocelot/cougar hybrid is shown here, labelled as "Ocema".
Read more about this topic: Felid Hybrid