first confirmed dog fox hybrid!

The first scientifically confirmed dog‑fox hybrid is known as “Dogxim” (also called Graxorra in Portuguese), discovered in Brazil in 2021. Genetic testing—published in a peer‑reviewed study in Animals in August 2023—confirmed that she was a first-generation hybrid between a female Pampas fox (Lycalopex gymnocercus) and a male domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris) (Wikipedia).

🔬 Key facts about Dogxim:

• Discovery: Found injured by a car in Vacaria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, and brought to a wildlife rehab center (Reddit).
• Physical & behavioral traits: Medium‑sized body resembling a dog, with pointed fox‑like ears, long snout, wiry dark coat. She barked like a dog, hunted rodents, refused dog food, and showed fox‑like cautious behavior (Telegraph, ScienceAlert).
• Chromosome count: She had 76 chromosomes—exactly between the dog’s 78 and the Pampas fox’s 74—strong evidence of hybridization (The Conversation).
• DNA analysis: Mitochondrial DNA showed Pampas fox maternal lineage; nuclear DNA showed a mix of fox and dog ancestry (Business Telegraph).

⚠️ Important notes:

• Pampas foxes are not “true foxes” (genus Vulpes) but belong to genus Lycalopex—wolf‑like canids that diverged from dogs over 6–7 million years ago. It’s still an extremely rare and unique case, not indicative of widespread possibility between dogs and typical foxes (Wikipedia).
• Sadly, Dogxim passed away around early 2023, several months before the study was published. The Brazilian government launched an investigation into her cause of death, which remains unknown (Wikipedia).

🧴 Summary Table

Let me know if you’d like more information on the genetic study, related hybrids among canids, or the conservation implications of Dogxim.