# is it possible for a human to make another species pregnant? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 29, 2001, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-make-another-species-pregnant/90240 "2001-10-29T05:19:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-make-another-species-pregnant/90240/21 "2001-10-30T01:19:28Z")
But do we know we can’t? I mean, as has been mentioned, other species have done it. Take, for example, wheat, canola, the mule, or the lyger. Hell, they had a HOUSECAT carry a tiger to term, didn’t they? AFAIK, no one has tried to form a zygote from human and non-human gametes. I’m definitely not up to date on this, though, but damn if it would’t have made it to the news! There are way to many ethical questions involved, and although I’m sure there are people out there just waiting for the chance to actually do it, I think no one reputatable would touch this experiment with a 10 foot pole! The world doesn’t even want cloning right now. Imagine trying to introduce a human-other species hybrid? It would never go. Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised if it were possible. ---
**Author:** ![HelloKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecccb3/32.png) [@HelloKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelloKitty)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-make-another-species-pregnant/90240/22 "2001-10-30T03:27:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by EVO95 \* > \*\*Big ol’ horse + Mrs. Seinfeld = Jerry > > Been done. 😃 \*\* Really?? I thought it was: Big ol’ horse + Mrs. Elway = Hall of Fame QB ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-make-another-species-pregnant/90240/23 "2001-10-30T08:17:41Z")
Quoth **Keeve** : “Achernar, I think that AHunter3 was too subtle for you.” Ah ha ha ha ha ha! Yeah, I get it now. I’m an idiot. For some reason I read “another species” as an animal and “that species” as human. Pret-ty clever. But I guess that still doesn’t answer the OP. Oh well. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-make-another-species-pregnant/90240/24 "2001-10-30T10:03:38Z")
Pardon me for interrupting, but is there anyone who can answer the OP with either yes or no? I would like to know the answer, too. ---
**Author:** ![Mersavets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/aca169/32.png) [@Mersavets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mersavets)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-make-another-species-pregnant/90240/25 "2001-10-30T10:40:58Z")
It’s hard to believe it hasn’t at least been tried in some laboratory somewhere isn’t it?^ ---
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-make-another-species-pregnant/90240/26 "2001-10-30T11:02:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by HelloKitty \* > Really?? I thought it was: > > Big ol’ horse + Mrs. Elway = Hall of Fame QB \*\* If anything, shouldn’t that be Ed McCaffrey? Kinda horsey looking guy if you ask me. (Which you didn’t, but still…) ---
**Author:** ![mischievous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mischievous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mischievous)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-make-another-species-pregnant/90240/27 "2001-10-30T11:13:34Z")
Simple reply: There are no recorded cases of successful human/non-human matings. This leads me to belive that there have never been any. There are several barriers to inter-species reproduction. First is obviously mate choice. Second, the sperm needs to recognize and bind to the ovum, and the protiens involved in this process mutate relatively quickly, so different species usually have different protiens. Third, different genes and different arrangement of genes in different species would completely mess up the developing embryo, and it would almost certainly get aborted. Fourth, the process of imprinting (which governs whether certain genes are used only from the maternal genome, paternal genome, or both) varies widely even between closely related species, and incorrect imprinting results in horribly messed up embryos, which may be aborted or may kill the mother. There are probably a few barriers I’m missing. It is possible for SOME related species to reproduce, if the genes responsible have not mutated. Most related species cannot (yes, it’s been tried with a number of species). The only real way to test if a particular pair of closely related species can reproduce is to try it. Now, given the propensity of horny humans to stick it in anything warm and concave, I would guess that there have been a significant number of human/non-human-primate matings (think pets, zoos, and captured animals in areas where they are endemic). I have NEVER seen a report of a live birth that was a human hybrid, and I do think it would make news, especially with us geneticists. A couple of caveats: I’m talking about modern humans and non-human primates here. Obviously if you go back in evolution, there was probably a time when proto-humans and proto-chimps still sufficiently similar that they could interbreed. In my list of barriers above, numbers 1 and 2 would prevent conception, and thus pregnancy. Numbers 3 and 4 would result in early spontaneous abortion, but that could be considered a pregancy by the OP. It is possible that human/nonhuman matings can proceed to _conception_, and this could be tested by mixing human sperm and non-human ova in a dish, and looking for fertilization. I don’t know if anyone has ever done this. ---
**Author:** ![Izzardesque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a9adbd/32.png) [@Izzardesque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Izzardesque)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-make-another-species-pregnant/90240/28 "2001-10-30T12:43:48Z")
Given the prolivity for shagging animals in certain backwaters, if it was gonna happen, it probably would have done… ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-make-another-species-pregnant/90240/29 "2001-10-30T13:22:15Z")
The term “electroshock his prostate” makes my eyes water. ---
**Author:** ![epolo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@epolo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epolo)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-make-another-species-pregnant/90240/30 "2001-10-30T15:53:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Earthling \* > \*\*From my dictionary: > > **Species** > _Biol_. The major subdivision of a genus or subgenus, regarded as the basic category of biological classification, composed of related individuals that resemble one another, are able to breed among themselves, but are not able to breed with members of another species. > > So I’d say no, by definition. I’ll defer to the biologists on this board for better/fuller explanations. \*\* This definition of species seems to be falling out of favor. According to [this article](http://www.sciencenews.org/20010721/bob13.asp) (warning: subscriber only article, link may not work) from [Science News](http://www.sciencenews.org), the definition is moving towards something like: > [@](#): > > Members of a species share some distinctive look or make-up and _don’t breed a lot_ with outsiders. > -Dolph Schluter of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver (Emphasis mine) ---
**Author:** ![nth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58956e/32.png) [@nth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nth)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-make-another-species-pregnant/90240/31 "2001-10-30T19:26:08Z")
The simple answer is NO. Humans cannot impregnant another species, but it does not mean impossible. Reason that it maybe possible is that freaks of nature happens. ---
**Author:** ![Cargogal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/48db29/32.png) [@Cargogal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cargogal)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-make-another-species-pregnant/90240/32 "2001-10-30T19:32:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mnemosyne \* > **Take, for example, wheat, canola, the mule, or the lyger.** I hope you’re kidding - wheat and canola? Lyger? But as to the mule - the defenition we usually give is that two different species cannot mate to give _fertile_ offspring. A horse and a donkey can mate, but because they are different species, the offspring (mule) is not fertile. It has to do with number of chromosomes, but also with meiosis - gametes don’t get made right when the chromosome complements don’t match. ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-make-another-species-pregnant/90240/33 "2001-10-30T19:41:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sofa King \* > \*\*Certainly the fact that there are not “sheeple” walking around in New Zealand and Argentina tells us that humans and sheep do not produce viable offspring. \*\* Either that, or the hybrid offspring are nearly identical to one of the parents. The number of slack-jawed yokels I observed in a nearby supermarket last week leads me to seriously consider this possibility. ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-make-another-species-pregnant/90240/34 "2001-10-30T19:54:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cargogal \* > **Lyger?** Not only [Ligers](http://www.lairweb.org.nz/tiger/ligers.html), but [Tigons](http://www.lairweb.org.nz/tiger/tigons.html) too. _Ligers and Tigons and Bears, oh my!_ 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-make-another-species-pregnant/90240/35 "2001-10-30T20:26:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jkbelle \* > \*\*no scientific back up for this one, but i have been told that a camel is the only animal a human can impregnate. i’ve not done any research here, but if you are curious enough, here’s a lead. . . \*\* I _surely_ hope this is not some oblique reference to that old joke about “ship of the desert” and “Arab sea-men.” ---
**Author:** ![vl\_mungo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc8723/32.png) [@vl\_mungo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vl_mungo)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-make-another-species-pregnant/90240/36 "2001-10-30T22:30:59Z")
Of course it is possible… no less an authority thatn the Weekly World News frequently has articles on the insemination of human women by Sasquatches (Bigfeet… Bigfoots?), and occasionally female Sasquatches by human males. If that ain’t the truth, I don’t know what is. ---
**Author:** ![nth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58956e/32.png) [@nth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nth)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-make-another-species-pregnant/90240/37 "2001-10-31T20:33:49Z")
When talking about plants, this whole species thing is thrown out the window as you can breed cross species. same with bacterias. species is more applicable for multi cell animals when talking about breeding… ---
**Author:** ![Gaspode](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/aeb1de/32.png) [@Gaspode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gaspode)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-make-another-species-pregnant/90240/38 "2001-10-31T22:44:08Z")
Infertile hybridisation between plant species may be more common than amongst animals, though I would doubt it. I highly doubt fertile hybridisation between species is more common. I’ve seen papers suggesting that the classical species concept of infertile breeding under natural conditions is applied far more rigorously to plants than animals (and criticising the practice). Both animal and plant species can hybridise across species (and occasionally across Genera) and produce fertile offspring. Both animals and plants do so in the wild. ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2001, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-make-another-species-pregnant/90240/39 "2001-11-01T06:06:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Izzardesque \* > \*\*Given the prolivity for shagging animals in certain backwaters, if it was gonna happen, it probably would have done… \*\* In many areas where humans and the great apes share territory there is an extremely strong taboo on having sex with them, more so than other forms of bestiality. Also, most of the animals that humans tend to have sex with are either easy to overpower or so domesticated that they won’t fight back when a human tries it. I find it hard to imagine that a human male would be able to rape an adult chimpanzee or gorilla. ---
**Author:** ![Phobos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Phobos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phobos)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2001, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-make-another-species-pregnant/90240/40 "2001-11-01T14:46:13Z")
Surprised that no one has mentioned that, about 30-40k years ago, H. sapiens may have interbred with another species quite frequently…H. neanderthalis. Not proven, of course, but a definite possibility. I suspect other past homonid species were possibilities too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-make-another-species-pregnant/90240.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-for-a-human-to-make-another-species-pregnant/90240.md?page=3)