Question

Hybrid sterility is found in
A) Horse
B) Hinny
C) Lion
D) Crocodile
E) Earthworm

Answer 1

Hint:The hybrids of closely related species are sterile and their reproductive abilities are inhibited in F1 or later generations. This is called hybrid sterility.

Complete answer:
When the offspring is produced by crossing between two different species of the same genus, they are called interspecific hybrids. Such hybrids are sterile and do not produce viable gametes.
Let us analyse the options to find the correct answer.
>Options A, C, D and E: Hybrid sterility is not found in Horse, Lion, Crocodile and Earthworm as they are a result of mating between the same species. All these options are irrelevant and incorrect, therefore, this is the incorrect option.
>Option B: Hinny is a hybrid of female donkey and a male horse. It's a result of interspecific hybridisation. They are sterile because of different chromosome numbers in two parent species. Horses have 64 chromosomes while Donkey have 62 and therefore Hinnies have 63. There is no movement of genes from one species to another therefore keeping both of them distinct. Hence, this is the correct answer.

Additional information :
>A homologous pair during meiosis is not formed in Hinnies.
>Disruption of meiosis is observed.
>Viable eggs and sperm are not produced.
>Hybrid sterility is also observed in Mules which are a hybrid of male donkey and female horse.

Thus the correct answer is option (B) Hinny.

Note:Species showing hybrid sterility are not able to breed due to an odd number of chromosomes. Hybrid sterility is an isolating mechanism that creates reproductive barriers in species.