# Could a Human/Chimp Pairing Produce Offspring?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-human-chimp-pairing-produce-offspring/177106>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 23, 2003, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-human-chimp-pairing-produce-offspring/177106 "2003-05-23T20:38:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\
**Post date:** [May 24, 2003, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-human-chimp-pairing-produce-offspring/177106/41 "2003-05-24T23:35:58Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Goat/sheep intermatings occur, (buck goat over ewe) producing a “geep”, but it always dies at about 3 months gestation.

No they don’t.

[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/813466.stm](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/813466.stm)

"The unusual case of a goat-sheep hybrid has been reported by veterinarians in Botswana.

The animal, which is now six years old, was born naturally from the mating of a female goat with a male sheep sharing the same kraal.

Although such crossings have been reported elsewhere around the world, notably in Chile, Jamaica and Malta, very few result in live births.

Interestingly in this case, the scientists involved found that the hybrid had 57 chromosomes, a number in between that of sheep and goats. "

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**Author:** ![phraser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a88e4f/32.png) [@phraser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phraser)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-human-chimp-pairing-produce-offspring/177106/42 "2003-05-25T02:04:04Z")

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Ok, ALMOST always _grins_

One lot of research I did for a paper suggested that different genes being imprinted in different genders between species might be the reason that such embryos don’t survive- they lack a working copy of a gene from either parent.

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**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-human-chimp-pairing-produce-offspring/177106/43 "2003-05-25T02:47:48Z")

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Since this was the offspring of a ram and a nanny, wouldn’t it be a “shoat?”

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**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-human-chimp-pairing-produce-offspring/177106/44 "2003-05-25T04:44:10Z")

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[Yet another Chimera](http://www.organicconsumers.org/ge/humChimp.html) approach…this time, actually involving a Chimp-Human pairing. It’s from 1998, and was all theoretical, though.

The immune system in these lifeforms must be intersting…

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**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\
**Post date:** [May 25, 2003, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-human-chimp-pairing-produce-offspring/177106/45 "2003-05-25T07:08:37Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Terrifel \*  
> Since this was the offspring of a ram and a nanny, wouldn’t it be a “shoat?”

You’d think so. But the word _shoat_ already has the meaning of “a young pig”.

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