Ursid hybrid

An animal produced by mating individuals of two different species in the bear family, Ursidae. Such hybrids are uncommon and may occur in captivity or where species ranges overlap.

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Pizzly bear: A hybrid between a polar bear and a grizzly bear, also called a grolar bear. This polar bear–grizzly cross is the best-known modern example of a wild ursid hybrid.
Hybridization: The mating of genetically distinct populations or species that produces offspring of mixed ancestry. Ursid hybrids are one animal-family example of this broader biological process.
Ursidae: The mammalian family containing all living bears and their extinct relatives. An ursid hybrid must involve parents belonging to this family.
Polar bear: A large Arctic bear species adapted to life on sea ice and a diet rich in marine prey. Its range and habitat loss shape opportunities for contact with grizzly bears.
Burgess Shale bear hybrid: A captive bear hybrid reported in the nineteenth century, traditionally described as a cross between a polar bear and a grizzly bear. Historical reports show that polar–grizzly crosses were recorded before the recent wild cases.
Reproductive isolation: Biological barriers that reduce or prevent gene flow between populations or species. These barriers explain why bear species remain distinct despite occasional hybrid offspring.
Bear: A large mammal in the family Ursidae, with eight living species distributed across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. The family’s living species define the possible parental lineages.
Grizzly bear: A North American population of brown bear, Ursus arctos, often recognized by its shoulder hump and long claws. Grizzlies are the other parent in the best-documented wild polar-bear hybrids.
American black bear–grizzly hybrid: A reported hybrid between an American black bear and a grizzly bear, both North American bear species. This cross illustrates hybridization between two species that share parts of North America.
Introgression: The movement of genes from one population or species into another through repeated backcrossing. A fertile ursid hybrid can carry genes between bear species through later generations.