Flumo: Small buck ensures disappointment with breeders!

Flumo: Small buck ensures disappointment with breeders!

in Flensburg, Schleswig-Holstein, there was a recent excitement for an unusual animal. A small goat was born on a rest of the yard, which was initially considered a cunning - a mixture of sheep and goat. But a DNA analysis has now proven the opposite: Flumo is a normal sheep. This message disappointed the hopes of researchers and animal lovers who had hoped for the emergence of a rare hybrid.

The livestock researcher Clemens Falker-Gieske from the University of Göttingen was disappointed with the result of the tests. "We would have liked to research another bow," he said, underlining the interest of science in such mixed beings. Because despite the biological proximity between sheep and goats, which both belong to the subfamily of the goat -like, the reproduction between these animal species is as complicated due to different chromosome sets.

confusion about biological descent

Flumo was born between 16 and 17 in mid -August. His white fur with brown spots initially suspected that billy goat rune could be the father. The farm owner Dag, who has been holding chickens, goats and sheep for over 27 years, was convinced that it was a goat sheep hybrid, since Flumo complained more like a goat and did not block like a sheep. This behavior reinforced the assumption that Flumo could be a mixed creature.

But the genetic examination finally brought clarity: Flumo is completely inconspicuous in the sheep world and has no goat in its descent. Dag stated that there was no deep sadness, but the disappointment is noticeable to him. "The story ends now," he said, looking at the little Bock.

experts had previously come across the phenomenon of sons. Around a decade ago, a similar mixed system was born in the Göttingen district, which was very valuable for subsequent research. Now the hope of gaining new knowledge with Flumo was not only interesting for science, but could also contribute to better understanding of hybrids in the animal kingdom.

The biological challenges of hybrids

The challenge lies in the genetic complexity of these animal species. While goats have 60 chromosomes, sheep only have 54. These different chromosome sets make it extremely difficult to testify to descendants that bear the genetic material of both parents. Falker-Gieske and his team would have liked three individuals to improve their research results and collect more robust data-now they only have a look back at the previous case.

The examined cunning ten years ago had given significant knowledge through innovative approaches to science. It was hoped that Flumo could make a similar research contribution, but this option has now disappeared with the clarification of its origin. "A second hybrid would have continued to support our results," sums up Falker-Gieske and lets the look wander in the future, where you will continue to look for opportunities to find out something about hybridized animals.

Insights about the behavior and health of this special animal species could be important, not only for research, but also for agriculture, which is increasingly dependent on such biogenetic links. Flumo is now in the spotlight of the Enlightenment, as a mere sheep, his story will still have a bit of research interest, even if it is not the hoped -for sensation.

Visitors to the Resthof could understand the disappointment of DAG, which, despite his hobby and long experience in animal husbandry, was surprised in this situation. But the world of animals remains exciting - and maybe there will soon be reason to be happy in Flensburg. More details can be found on this topic In a detailed report on www.bild.de .