Cross Breeds

How come foxes and dogs cannot cross breed?

Foxes are in the canine family yet they are the only species that can't inter breed with other canines. Dogs, wolves, and coyotes can crossbreed but foxes can't. Why?

Public Comments

1. Because they are different species even though they are similar, it's like asking why a human can't crossbreed with an ape. and naturally crossbreeding is impossible, and scientists haven't found away to do it with all species (i believe they've only achieves it with plants) hope I Helped
2. They are too different genetically. Dogs cannot always crossbreed with coyotes and wolves either. The scientific answer, which is somewhat circular, is that they are different species. However a "species" is a genetic group in which interbreeding can take place. Dogs can breed with wolves because, at some point before domestication, they were the same species. Coyotes are likely closely related as well. Foxes are more specialized and genetically distinct.
3. Simply, the female species of each fox/dog have a specialized receiver for its own kind's sperm, so it cannot recieve different types from other species.
4. They can't because they have a different number of chromosomes than a dog. They belong to the genus vulpes,while the dog is in the genus canis,the same as the wolf.
5. For the same reason house cats don't breed with Tigers and Lions.
6. Dogs, wolves, and coyotes are different species of the same genus. Foxes are a different genus.
7. They are canidae, which means they are related to the dog family, but are their own genus order, making them their own distinct species. The reason they can not be bred Dog to Fox or other way around) is due to a difference in chromosomes in the DNA structure.
8. Because wolves dogs and coyotes are all on the same branch of the canine family tree. foxes are on an entirely different branch all together along with the fact they do not share the same amount of chromosomes BTW there are TONS of other members of the canini and vulpini AND thw two basal caninae groups that CANNOT interbreed
9. Dances with Woofs is correct. They are a different genus. Wolves and dogs are in the Genus Canis, wolves are Vulpes. They have a VASTLY different amount of chromosomes...foxes have somewhere in the 30s and dogs are up in the 70's or 80's. I can't remember what the actual number is.
10. From what I understand, foxes are genetically closer to cats than they are to dogs. To understand how animals are able to breed you have to see how close they are genetically including their Genus not just their Species. With the exception of the Arctic fox (there may be other exceptions, but none that I can remember) Foxes are in the Vulpini Genus, whereas dogs (domesticated and otherwise) are in the Canis Genus. :) It's roughly like a human mating with a chimpanzee. (With one exception, we are more CLOSELY related to chimps than foxes are to dogs.)
11. Actually, foxes are not canines, exactly. They are a species that branched from canines billions of years ago. Only sub-species are able to produce offspring, very seldom are the offspring fertile, or even sexed, except in the case of dogs, wolves, coyotes, african wild dogs and dingos, they are all very close sub-species of the Canine family. When cross bred their offspring are fertile. Foxes are Vulpine, a completely different species. You can not get offspring from two completely different species. Not of animals, insects or plants. You can only make hybrids from two subspecies of the same species. You can not breed a rabbit to a cat, you can not breed a bear to a moose, you can not breed a grain to a fruit. The laws of Mendelian segregation are very clear in that, and it is demonstrated in all the diverse species and subspecies on the planet we live on.