I mentioned in a previous post about the Dox -an alleged fox and domestic dog cross- that this was impossible because of genetics. I was aware of the Dogxim when I wrote that.
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The canid called a Dogxim was said to have shown a mixture of fox and dog behaviours and was found Dogxim after being run over by an automobile in Vacaria, Rio Grande do Sul in 2021. She was found by the Environmental Patrol who took her to the veterinary hospital of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. After veterinary treatment for her injuries, she was moved to the university's Center for Conservation and Rehabilitation of Wild Animals for full recovery.
In 2019 biologist Herbert Hasse Junior had observed two strange canids in the same region and they speculated that Dogxim might be one of the two. Dogxim was said to possess a mixture of wild canid and dog features. She had noticeably large pointed ears resembling that of foxes and she had refused to eat dog food but was said to have savoured rats -the main wild prey for foxes though it should be pointed out that coyotes and foxes as well as jackals have eaten dog food. The pupils of her eyes resembled those of dogs and she barked exactly like a dog but, again, it was said that she did not show the behavior of a domestic dog, but neither did she show the aggression generally displayed by wild canids, acting more shy and introverted than violent.
Which all sounds more like domestic dog that has been living feral and now found itself amongst humans. Dogxim dideasily adapted to human environment during her hospitalisation. It was also stated that Dogxim climbed trees and it was noted that this was a fox behaviour rather than something domestic dogs do. That statement is correct in that foxes, coyotes, etc., do climb trees and other structures. However, I have personally seen domestic dogs climbing into trees and there are plenty of videos online of domestic dogs climbing fences and walls. As pointed out earlier, foxes are omnivorous and have a wide diet and in the countryside rabbits are top of the menu along with the main urban prey of rats. Dogs have caught and eaten rats. Dogs will also eat fruit and worms and insects.
Domestic dog behaviour can also vary widely so there is nothing here -including the "pointed ears" that I have seen on domestic dogs- that shouts "hybrid". It is the scientific evidence -the DNA- that we have to look at.
It was also stated that Dogxim had been sterilized during her medical care but according to the scientists she would have been capable of reproduction.
A team of geneticists led by Thales Renato Ochotorena de Freitas and Rafael Kretschmer announced in 2023 that Dogxim was a distinct hybrid genetically that this "represents the first documented case of hybridization between these two [fox and dog] species".
She was popularized as the first "fox"-dog hybrid documented in the world although the Pampas fox and other South American foxes are not true foxes, being instead closer genetically to wolf-like canids, which includes dogs therefore such grand claims need to have a lot of evidence to back them up.
Dogxim was kept at the animal care centre Mantenedouro São Brazil and the next turn in the story is why any of us who actually care started seeing red flags popping up. When the scientists requested fresh photographs of the canid in September, 2023, the keepers reported that she had died six months prior to the request. Oh, how very inconvenient and guess what? No remains or burial site were said to be known.
This is all very "I found the last thylacine. Oh you want proof -photos and samples? Oh, sadly it died six months ago and I have no idea where it was buried!"
But as this was said to be such an historical discovery the death and what happened (as it was never reported/recorded) the Brazilian government then issued an investigation into the cause of death.
There has been only silence although I ought to point out that I am currently waiting to hear from the Brazilian Government about this matter.
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