Scientists believe they have found an "amazing" new species; a cross between a dog and a fox. The animal, dubbed a 'dogxim', was taken to the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul veterinary hospital in Brazil after it was hit by a car in 2021.Baffled medics were unable to work out if it was a fox or a dog, so ordered genetic testing.
The highly-awaited results have just been published that suggest the animal is the first-ever hybrid dog-fox. The dogxim - which shared characteristics of both animals, with large pointy ears, thick wiry fur, and a long pointed snout - sadly died earlier this year of unknown causes.
It is only now following the results of the test that it has emerged how significant she was, reports the Mirror. Vets noted how the animal showed characteristics of both a domesticated and wild species - having preferred to eat live rodents and initially being wary of people.
At the same time, it was not as aggressive as would have been expected of a wild animal.Flavia Ferrari, a conservationist who worked with the hybrid animal, said that over time the dogxim became more comfortable being around people.
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