Would a society with two different species that can interbreed be viable?

Would a society with two different species that can interbreed be viable?

Sure it's possible, by a number of processes the most obvious being hybridisation. The process by which two distinct species combine to form mostly infertile offspring (Vis-a-vis mule)- but just occasionally they are viable.

There is evidence of hybridisation between modern humans and other species of the genus Homo. In 2010, the Neanderthal genome project showed that 1"“4% of DNA from all people living today, apart from most Sub-Saharan Africans, is of Neanderthal heritage.

But you can't expect them to be a perfect halfway house:

Hybrids are not always intermediates between their parents....but can show hybrid vigour, often growing larger or taller than either parent.

Another intriguing way would be through chimerism:

A woman was found to have blood containing two different blood types. Apparently this resulted from her twin brother's cells living in her body.

However it may be more obvious than this as it could occur in your creature's skin, giving a mottled blend of the two skin types you mention above by mosaicism.

Culturally, would either society accept a crossbreed? See Nazi Eugenics for an idea of what can happen. Would the prevailing cultural atitudes drive these unique creatures to the fringes, desperate, and in hiding - would they have a political voice? Allies in the general populations? Would some be driven to violence? Only you can decide.

Here's further reading to fuel your immagination:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyploidy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horizontal_gene_transfer#Plants_to_animals

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endosymbiont

posted about 6 years ago

Mr Bumble‭

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