While one might think that these oddities are examples of some kind of moral breakdown in the animal kingdom, it turns out that hybridization among distinct species is not so rare.

The researchers further note: "There is evidence of hybridization across species (such as between spotted and harbor seals) as well as across genera (such as hard and hooded seals)."

The hybridization of mammoths may explain other fossils that look like intermediates between the two species.