“Dogs share 99% of their genes with wolves and can have children with each other. However, both are also so closely related to a whole host of other species that it is possible to for them to produce fertile offspring with jackals, coyotes, the Australian dingo, the African wild dog, Arctic foxes, and the Black fox Coren (2013). The species boundary is obviously not a barrier for reproduction. And of course, all types of dogs are able to cross-breed.” DogSpeciesDogsWolfWolvesInterbreeding Book:The Dog and his Philosopher: A Call for Autonomy and Animal Rights Source: The Dog and his Philosopher: A Call for Autonomy and Animal Rights
“Is the term for the human species clearly defined? There is no authoritative definition of 'species'. The boundaries between biological populations are, by definition, fluid. If this wasn't the case, evolution could never have taken place – the principle is change, not being static. In particular, the often quoted criterion, that two different species cannot produce 'fertile offspring' is not consistent with reality. Primates produce fertile offspring, often not only between different species (white-handed gibbon and capped gibbon, hamadryas baboons and olive baboons) but also between different defined genera (such as the hanuman langur [Semnopithecus] and the Nilgiri langur [Presbytis]) and, this happens in the wild. The boundary between the 'species' human and other primates is therefore arbitrary from a biological point of view. There is no 'special characteristic feature' that could justify such a boundary. […]” SpeciesBiologyDefinitionAnthropocentrismGenusBiocentrism Book:The Dog and his Philosopher: A Call for Autonomy and Animal Rights Source: The Dog and his Philosopher: A Call for Autonomy and Animal Rights