Alex Carson
Number 1: Featherless Chickens
An Israeli geneticist who created the bare-skinned chicken prototype says that these chickens could be the future of mass poultry farming in warm climates. Not only would these chickens be able to survive in warm conditions, they would grow faster, be lower in calories, and more environmentally friendly. This chicken was created by crossing a breed with a naturally bare neck with a regular broiler chicken. Critics have spoken out, saying that featherless chickens can suffer from genetic mutations and they can suffer more than regular chickens. Some males cannot mate or flap their wings. Both sexes are more susceptible to mosquito attacks, sunburn, and parasites.
Number 2: Lemurat
In China, the rich are running out of exotic pets to spend their money on. Therefore, the Chinese medical and scientific research companies are putting more money into crossbreeding animals. The most successful and financially rewarding breed so far is the Lemurat, which is the cross between a lemur and a cat. Its scientific name is Prolos Fira. It has the soft fur and the coloring of a cat, but it has the stripped tail and yellow eyes like a lemur. It is more ferocious than the typical cat, but it is no more dangerous than a Chihuahua.
Number 3: Umbuku Lizard
There was no practical reason for this hybrid to be made, scientists just wanted to prove that they could do it. They unlocked a dormant flying strand of DNA in the Umbuku lizard, which is a very rare, African lizard. It is believed that they lost their ability to fly millions of years ago. There are only 6 of these flying lizards, and they are kept separate from their nonflying counterparts. This is because scientists don’t want to risk cross breeding.
Number 4: Arana Helecho
The Arana Helcho is also known as the spider fern. It is the combination of a plant and an animal. It is actually the cross between an Italian Wolf spider and the ponga fern. The reason that this crossbreed was created was so that scientist could study the survival rate of spiders if they had built-in camouflage. The study was conducted by the National Selection department at Massey University in New Zealand. The results of this study have not yeat been published.
Number 5: Glo Fish
The Glo Fish is the first genetically modified animal that is available for you to own as a pet. This fish is actually a Zebrafish, which had the genetic information from bioluminescent jellyfish added to its DNA. It was originally created to be a warning sign of pollution, however, when a variety of color were added, they were sold in pet stores. In 2003, Yorktown Technologies in Austin, Texas introduced the fish to the U.S. market.
Number 6: The Translucent Frog
The translucent frog can be found in Costa Rica, and looks just like Kermit the Frog. The underside of the frog is completely see through, allowing you to get a view of its insides as if you were looking through a window. This frog cannot carry a tune as well as Kermit the Frog, although, it has a long whistle, which resembles that of an insect.
Number 7: Cow That Produces Insulin in the Milk
Argentine scientists have created four cloned and genetically modified calves, which can produce human insulin in their milk. Scientists believe that these cows can produce large amounts of insulin at a very low cost. To create these cows, scientists inserted the human insulin producing gene into an embryo, before implanting it in the surrogate cow.
Number 8: Mutant Fish
Fishermen on a Caribbean island have spotted what they believe to be a mutant fish, which they are calling Alien fish. The animal has two feet, complete with toes. They don’t have fins, and they have a perfect human nose. It even has wings. Because the fish does not have fins, it uses its “feet” to walk across the seabed. Fishermen actually caught the mutant fish in the port of Windward, which is on the tiny island of Carriacou. Some people believe that this fish is just a hoax created by the fishermen, however, the fishermen who caught the animal insist that it is real and they don’t know what it is. Scientists who have seen the photos believe that it is a frogfish, which can eat almost anything that they can fit into their mouths.
Number 9: Belgian Blue Cows
This breed of cow occurs due to a naturally mutation called double muscling. This occurs when the cow lacks the protein that regulates their muscle growth. Over the years, the meat industry has been selectively breeding these animals who show this mutation so that they can produce bigger animals, which provide more meat. Because of their enormous size, they often suffer from a variety of health problems. Their pregnancies can be difficult, and to deliver a baby, they would need a C-section. The calves can have a variety of birth defects, including enlarged tongues, which can make nursing difficult and in some cases, impossible. They can also have bone and joint problems, heart problems, breathing problems, and premature death.
Number 10: Part Human Part Animal
This is one of the craziest animals created by man. Scientists in California have successfully created embryos that are part human and part pig. The reason for this is in the need to create more organ donors for those who need it. According to scientists, the animal will look like a typical pig, who will be able to house human organs, specifically the pancreas. Scientists so far have only allowed the embryos to develop for 28 days inside the female pig. After 28 days, they terminate the pregnancy and study the tissue. The hope is that in the future, these pigs will save millions of human lives.
