An unexpected encounter in the vast expanses of Rio Grande do Sul revealed a discovery that challenges the boundaries between domestic and the wild. Two years ago, a creature that looked like a small fox was rescued after an accident on a side road in Vacaria.
The environmental patrol that found it took it to the Veterinary Hospital of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), where it was initially identified as a wild cat, a carnivorous canid native to the region.
However, something unusual occurred when the animal began to bark, a characteristic not associated with graxains.
The ‘grachorra’ found in Rio Grande do Sul
Image: UFRGS/Reproduction
The rescued female’s intriguing almost black coat was another sign that she was different. While the hospital’s veterinary team debated her true identity, the female showed reluctance to consume food, preferring small rodents. This behavior, coupled with her distinctive coat, led to genetic research.
Thales Renato Ochotorena de Freitas, a geneticist at UFRGS, took on the task of unraveling the mystery. Genetic testing revealed that the female was a hybrid, now affectionately called “grachorra” by the laboratory team.
The animal’s genetic combination was a fusion between a graxaim and a dog of an undefined breed, something never before recorded in science. The “grachorra” chromosomes were a mixed set, with 39 inherited from the dog and 37 from the graxaim, a testament to its hybrid heritage.
This unusual crossing sheds light on the complex interactions between domestic and wild animals, and how this can impact local ecosystems.
The mix genetics between a dog, an invasive species, and a graxaim, a native animal, represents a potential threat to local wildlife. The study of this unique case, published in the journal Animals, is a landmark, being the first known record of hybridization between these two distinct canid species.
After recovery, the “heron” was taken to a ZooMantenedouro São Braz, in Santa Maria, where, unfortunately, he passed away this year.
