Hybrid reptiles can be both purposefully bred by humans, as well as found naturally in the wild. Interspecific hybridization occurs naturally, as a result of things such as introduction between the species, habitat changes and destruction of habitat, fragmentation of habitat, as well as population declines in the two animals. It may also happen in captivity, with people purposefully creating hybrids. Approximately 25% of plant and 10% of animal species undergo hybridization (Mallet, 2005). This process can contribute to the evolution of many animals, but hybridization can have drawbacks. These drawbacks can include lower fitness, lower fertility, genetic extinction of the two separate species, and other health issues. Please keep reading to see the 10 hybrid reptiles that we were able to find.
Banner Photo: Source
Scientific Name: Correlophus ciliatus x Rhacodactylus chahoua
Where It Happens: Captivity
First on our list of hybrid reptiles, we have the Cresthoua gecko. This hybrid gecko is part crested gecko and part chahoua gecko. According to the website LyonessandCub, the cresthoua gecko is usually from a chahoua male and a crested female. This is because chahoua geckos are very expensive and crested geckos aren’t. This means one male chahoua gecko can mate with several female crested geckos, resulting in many cresthoua hybrid babies.
The hybrid geckos have prehensile tails and sticky feet, as well as veiny-looking eyes. This is to be expected, as both crested geckos and chahoua geckos have these traits. Some of these hybrids can coil their tails like their chahoua gecko parent. As far as size goes, they are most commonly larger than a crested gecko, but smaller than a chahoua gecko. Their coloring is usually a mix of bright orange or red and mixed with green and brown. They can have various patterns on their body, like the one pictured above which has beautiful bright stripes.
Scientific Name: Eretmochelys imbricata x Caretta caretta
Where It Happens: Bahia state, Brazil
Offspring from hawksbill and loggerhead sea turtles have happened naturally, and have been observed, in the wild. Hybridization between the two species is possible because hawksbill and loggerhead nesting activities overlap along the coast of the state of Bahia, in Brazil.
It has been confirmed that the hybrid sea turtle is still able to reproduce, however, it is undetermined if the second-generation hybrids can reproduce. Scientists are unsure if they haven’t seen any adult second-generation or hatchling third-generation hybrids because it hasn’t been long enough for them to mature into adults and produce offspring, or because they are infertile. It is suggested that hybrids are at a reproductive disadvantage, with only a quarter of their eggs hatching, compared with more than half of the eggs hatching for just loggerheads or just hawksbills. While hybridization in most sea turtles is possible and has been observed, loggerhead and hawksbill hybrids are the most common of them.
If you want to learn even more about this hybrid, you can check out the very informative article “Hawksbill × loggerhead sea turtle hybrids at Bahia, Brazil: where do their offspring go?”
Scientific Name: Corallus caninus x Corallus hortulana
Where It Happens: Captivity, South America
The next of the hybrid reptiles on our list is the hybrid emerald tree boa x Amazon tree boa. The Amazon tree boa can be many different beautiful colors and patterns, which would suggest that the hybrid emerald tree boa x Amazon tree boa can as well. This may be why people would choose to purposefully breed these hybrids in captivity. There have been instances of these hybrids occurring in the wild as well, as during our research we read a couple of stories of imported gravid (pregnant) female emerald tree boas surprising their new owners by giving birth to emerald tree boa x amazon tree boa hybrids. Since both emerald tree boas and Amazon tree boas can be found in South America, and are both from the same genus, it makes sense why this may occasionally happen.
Scientific Name: Amblyrhynchus cristatus x Conolophus subcristatus
Where It Happens: South Plaza Island in the Galápagos Islands
Hybrid iguanas are a first-generation hybrid between a male marine iguana and a female Galápagos land iguana. They have been noticed on the South Plaza island since the early 1980s. It is currently thought that hybrid iguanas only exist on the South Plaza Island in the Galápagos Islands. This is most likely because this small island is densely populated by both land and marine iguanas, and therefore they live closely with one another. On the other Galápagos islands, land iguanas are usually found more inland, and don’t interact with marine iguanas as much. These hybrids are incredibly rare, as they are sterile and unable to reproduce to create more hybrids.
The hybrid iguana is diurnal, meaning they are awake during the day. They are terrestrial, inhabiting the dry grasslands and rocky outcrops where they live with both the land and marine iguanas. Their diet is similar to the land iguana, and they have been observed feeding on herbs, shrubs, flowers, and the giant prickly pear cacti. However, like the marine iguana, they have also been seen eating seaweed that is exposed on the rocks. Hybrid iguanas inherited the sharp claws of their marine iguana fathers, as well as a laterally compressed tail like the marine iguana. However, they have not been seen swimming. Hybrid iguanas as dark in color, with bands down their body. Marine iguanas are usually black (some subspecies can get more colorful), while land iguanas are usually yellow or yellow-red. Interestingly, neither land nor marine iguanas are banded.
If you want to learn more about the iguanas that make up the hybrid iguana, you can check out our marine iguana, and land iguana articles!
Scientific Name: Crocodylus porosus x Crocodylus siamensis
Where It Happens: Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, United States
Golden crocodiles are a hybrid between the saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) and the Siamese crocodile (Crocodylus siamensis). The hybrid golden crocodile seems to have got its name from their beautiful yellow color. One of the few places that display this hybrid is the Shark Reef Aquarium in the United States. According to a post by the Las Vegas Sun, golden crocodiles can reach up to 20 feet in length and weigh close to one ton, which seems closer to the size of the saltwater crocodile. Siamese crocodiles are considered critically endangered, so while these hybrid crocodiles are beautiful, hopefully not too many people focus on creating hybrids instead of increasing the Siamese crocodile’s population.
Scientific Name: Python regius x Morelia viridis
Where it Happens: Captivity
Ball pythons are popular in the pet trade, and have 100s of different morphs to choose from. It isn’t surprising then, that ball pythons are one of the more popular snakes to create hybrids with. One of the extremely unique hybrids we were able to find is the fascinating ball python x green tree python pictured above. While we couldn’t find much information on how this hybrid behaves, it is sure to be interesting considering green tree pythons, as their name suggests, prefer to live in the trees, and ball pythons tend to hang out on the ground.
Scientific Name: Varanus cumingi x Varanus salvator Hybrid
Where It Happens: Captivity
The hybrid yellow-headed monitor x water monitor is a beautiful monitor lizard. The one pictured above, which we get to see thanks to the wonderful people at NERD, is a beautiful light yellow color. Unlike some other reptile hybrids on this list the parent monitors, the yellow-headed water monitor, and the water monitor are both from the same genus (Varanus). This does not make them any less unique though! We don’t have too much info on this hybrid, but we imagine this hybrid would like water, just as both their parent species do.
Scientific Name: Chelonoidis carbonaria x Centrochelys sulcata
Where It Happens: Captivity
The unique hybrid between a red-footed tortoise and a sulcata tortoise is often referred to as a redcata. The one pictured above took on the red coloring from its red-footed parent and is all over a beautiful red color. They are sometimes bred in captivity as unique pets for people to own. Since red-footed tortoises can be found in Northern South America and sulcata tortoises are from Africa, they don’t interact in the wild, so captivity is generally the only place you’ll see this bright hybrid tortoise.
Scientific Name: Aspidoscelis neavesi
Where It Happens: In A Lab
Neave’s whiptail lizard was produced in a laboratory by breeding the Chihuahuan spotted whiptail (Aspidoscelis exsanguis) and the little striped whiptail (Aspidoscelis inornatus). They did this to try to recreate what they thought might be hybrid whiptails in the wild. While many hybrids are sterile and unable to reproduce, Neave’s whiptail lizard did something surprising. It started cloning itself, in a process called parthenogenesis. Parthenogenesis is a natural form of asexual reproduction in which animals (and plants) can produce offspring with only a female, no males needed. So the hybrid Neave’s whiptail lizard was able to keep cloning itself, making more and more Neave’s whiptail lizards without needing males. Another interesting fact about this hybrid is that it has 4 sets of chromosomes!
Scientific Name: Bitis gabonica x Bitis nasicornis
Where It Happens: Captivity, Africa
Last but not least on our list of hybrid reptiles we have the gabino viper. This hybrid is a mix of the gaboon viper and the rhinoceros viper. Since some areas where they live overlap in the wild, the Gabino viper hybrid has been found naturally occurring. Some people keep venomous snakes in captivity and have purposefully bred the gaboon viper and rhinoceros viper together to create the gabino. The western gaboon viper (Bitis rhinoceros) is also known to breed with the rhinoceros viper occasionally, and that hybrid is also referred to as a Gabino viper.
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