Motty
Encyclopedia
Motty was the only proven hybrid between an Asian
and an African elephant
. He was named after George Mottershead, who founded the Chester Zoo in 1931. The male calf was born on July 11, 1978, in Chester Zoo
, to Asian mother Sheba and African father Jumbolino ("Bubbles").
and E. coli septicaemia. He is preserved as a mounted specimen at the Natural History Museum
, London
.
, they share the same number of chromosome
s, thus making hybridisation, at least in this respect, theoretically possible.
Asian Elephant
The Asian or Asiatic elephant is the only living species of the genus Elephas and distributed in Southeast Asia from India in the west to Borneo in the east. Three subspecies are recognized — Elephas maximus maximus from Sri Lanka, the Indian elephant or E. m. indicus from mainland Asia, and E. m....
and an African elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
. He was named after George Mottershead, who founded the Chester Zoo in 1931. The male calf was born on July 11, 1978, in Chester Zoo
Chester Zoo
Chester Zoo is a zoological garden at Upton-by-Chester, in Cheshire, England. It was opened in 1931 by George Mottershead and his family, who used as a basis some animals reported to have come from an earlier zoo in Shavington. It is one of the UK's largest zoos at...
, to Asian mother Sheba and African father Jumbolino ("Bubbles").
Appearance
The calf's cheek, ears (long with pointed lobes) and legs (longer and slimmer) were of the African type, while nail numbers (5 front, 4 hind) and the single trunk finger were Asian. The wrinkled trunk was like an African elephant. The forehead was sloping with one dome and two smaller domes behind it. The body was African in type, but had an Asian-type centre hump and an African-type rear hump.Cause of death
Despite intensive human care, Motty died of an umbilical infection 12 days after birth. The necropsy revealed death to be due to necrotizing enterocolitisNecrotizing enterocolitis
Necrotizing enterocolitis is a medical condition primarily seen in premature infants, where portions of the bowel undergo necrosis .-Signs and symptoms:...
and E. coli septicaemia. He is preserved as a mounted specimen at the Natural History Museum
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Other hybrids
There are unconfirmed rumours of three other hybrid elephants born in zoos or circuses; all are said to have been deformed and did not survive.Biology
Although the Asian elephant Elephas maximus and the African elephant Loxodonta africana belong to different generaGenus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
, they share the same number of chromosome
Chromosome
A chromosome is an organized structure of DNA and protein found in cells. It is a single piece of coiled DNA containing many genes, regulatory elements and other nucleotide sequences. Chromosomes also contain DNA-bound proteins, which serve to package the DNA and control its functions.Chromosomes...
s, thus making hybridisation, at least in this respect, theoretically possible.