Beagles, greyhounds, German shepherds, and even cute tail-wagging poodles are all related to the same majestic wild animal, the wolf. In fact, all domestic dogs are descended from wolves. True, dogs and wolves have their own personalities, but they also have many similar traits and instincts even thousands of years can't seem to erase. Just like the wild wolf, pet dogs exhibit many similar behaviors. For instance, a pet dog can be found spinning around and around for no apparent reason before settling down. Perhaps it's the same as the natural instinct also found in wolves where they are known to whirl around in a circle to kick up anything in their way, like bugs or debris, before they lie down.

According to legend, wolves howl at a full moon – except wolves aren't actually howling at the moon, but merely tipping their head back to howl into the sky. This call of the wild allows wolves to communicate their territory boundaries, find fellow pack members, or warn unwanted predators to keep away. Domestic dogs, like the cute French bulldog puppy, might not howl like a wolf, but they can produce a bark to gain attention or warn of danger.

Both wolves and dogs can be spotted rolling in the grass (if you're lucky), mud, or dirt. This sometimes foul-smelling habit is a way for a wolf or dog to camouflage itself so it can sneak up on its prey. A golden retriever might bury a toy, a bone, or even a shoe in a fenced-in yard, feeling the need to keep it safe even though there's no threat. This vital behavior that keeps wolves alive and ensures they have enough food to survive in the wilderness still lingers in today's puppy pals.

In the rugged wilderness, wolves must hunt to survive. An individual wolf can hunt small prey like a hare, but wolves are far more effective when working as a unit with their pack. These exceptional pack hunters can take down large prey, such as moose or deer, when collaborating and communicating as a seamless team. Wolves can reach speeds of up to 40 miles per hour when chasing prey, and their thick, double-coated fur keeps them warm in even the coldest arctic temperatures. Domesticated dogs may not need to hunt down a hare for lunch, but they do communicate and live with their 'pack,' the humans in their lives.

Next time you're playing fetch with your furry friend, think about its ancestor, the wolf. That pug might struggle to tackle a ball, but it gained its instincts to chase and hunt from those greatest of hunters, wolves.

The Necessity of Hybrids:

In the frozen tundra of Canada, there have been strange bear sightings. These bears weren’t polar bears, nor were they grizzlies. They were grolar bears, or also called pizzlies. How did this happen? When you cross two different species, you get hybrids like grolar bears, wolf-dogs, or even Savannah cats. Sometimes hybrids happen naturally in the wild, but usually, hybrids are the result of humans selectively breeding animals.

Recently, these grizzly-polar bear hybrids started appearing in the wild, not just in zoos. With climate changing, the bears' once-separate habitats overlapped. The result? Their offspring’s fur is tan or light cream while their snout stretches slender like the polar bear snout and shoulders are muscular and broad like the grizzly. These bears are taking on some polar bear behaviors such as stomping on toys like a polar bear might stomp on ice. They hurl sacks like polar bears might throw their prey. Unlike the polar bear, goalers and pizzlies don’t manage well on ice, and their fur is partially hollow so they might adapt better to warmer temperatures.

Another hybrid is the wolf-dog, a result of crossing a wolf with a domestic dog. Though wolf-dogs are bred to be pets, they often take on wolf behaviors such as being territorial and needing a high amount of attention and interaction with their human pack. Since they have the instinct to find their status in the pack, they may test their packmates, often the humans in their lives. This makes wolf-dogs seem aggressive or stubborn and not make ideal pets.

Savannah cats are also human-made hybrids developed to be pets. This exotic animal is the result of crossing a wildcat called a serval with a domestic housecat. Savannah cats aren’t always ideal as house pets because their wildcat instinct to hunt, jump, and attack comes out when they prey on the family hamster or swallow the goldfish for a snack. If not given regular exercise and time outdoors, they can be thought of as fierce killers and will remain destructive by keeping their wild, serval nature.

Crossing two different types of species not only produces new colors and shapes, it draws out behaviors and instincts related to two different types of animals. It looks as if the animal kingdom has a lot more unexpected surprises for us after all.