eli5 If it’s suspected that early humans interbred with other species of humans, why would they be considered different species since the offspring were obviously fertile?
In: 54
It’s actually quite common. Being a different species (which is simply a scientific designation) does not necessarily mean that creatures from different species cannot interbreed to form a hybrid offspring. You may have seen stories in the news, of late, about a sudden increase in the number of brown bears interbreeding with polar bears. Each is of a different species, yet they are able to interbreed. The same thing obviously happened with early humans; despite being of different species, they were still able to interbreed, ultimately leading to the human variants that exist today.
Latest Answers