Mannkopf Phenomenon

Mannkopf Phenomenon

Mannkopf Friedrich Wilhelm (1833–1918) – German doctor, researcher of the “Mannkopf” phenomenon.

In 1860, Mannkopf succeeded in breeding a hybrid of two species of monkeys - rhesus monkey and chimpanzee (Macaca mulatta × Pan troglodytes). This experience was described in his book "Die Anwendung der Darwinschen Theorie auf die Vererbung der Organismen" (An Application of Darwin's Theory of Inheritance of Organisms, 1881).

To obtain the hybrid, Mannkopf used the hybridization method, which he developed independently. It consisted in the fact that a female rhesus macaque was fertilized with the sperm of a male chimpanzee, and then the fetus developed in the womb. As a result of such crossing, hybrids were born - mannkops.

Mannkopf's research aroused great interest in the scientific community. He also studied the influence of various factors on the development of hybrids, such as nutrition, living conditions, etc.

However, despite Mannkopf's best efforts, the hybrids could not survive and did not pass on their properties to their descendants. This was because the genetic differences between the rhesus monkey and the chimpanzee were too great for the hybrids to be viable.

Thus, Mannkopf's experience showed that crossing different species can lead to hybrids, but they cannot always survive and pass on their properties to subsequent generations.