Why he didn't make her pregnant
Everything you ever wanted to know about genetics And why you will never impregnate/get pregnant from your pet
Overview:
In most species of the kingdom Animalia reproduction is sexual – requiring a female and a male to produce an offspring. Specialized cells, known as gametes, combine to form a zygote. This zygote then begins dividing, eventually becoming trillions of cells and a fully functional (in most cases) organism.
Within every cell there is a variety of structures. One of these structures is called the Nucleus. Within this nucleus contains the blueprints of life. All vital information that an organism needs to carry out basic biological functions is stored within the nucleus in molecules known as Deoxyribonucleic acid, or as it is more commonly recognized – DNA.
This DNA is stored in the form of genes. Genes are what determine all of the features of an organism, from eye and hair color to blood type. Genes are stored in chromosomes, and it is by the combination of these chromosomes that genetic information is passed on, but we’ll get to that in a moment.
Gametes and Diploid cells:
The cells that make up an organism, whether they are muscle cells, skin cells, brain cells, or organ cells, all contain the same genetic information within them. Chromosomes, which are composed of genes, are carried in these cells in pairs, and these cells are thus known as diploid cells.
Reproductive cells, the sperm and ova, are known as gametes. These gametes differ from every other cell in the body, as they only carry ONE of each chromosome instead of a PAIR, and thus these cells are termed haploid cells.
As a result of sexual intercourse, one of the millions of sperm ejaculated may be lucky enough to penetrate the ova. In this case, the chromosomes carried by the sperm cell are paired with chromosomes in the ova.
Human beings carry a total of 46 chromosomes (or 23 pairs of chromosomes) within their diploid cells, and a total of 23 chromosomes in each haploid cell, or gamete.
Chromosome counts of some animals: Dogs: (78 Chromosomes 39 pairs of chromosomes and 39 chromosomes per gamete) Horses: (64 Chromosomes 32 pairs of chromosomes and 39 chromosomes per gamete) Donkeys: (62 Chromosomes 31 pairs of chromosomes and 39 chromosomes per gamete) Mules: 63 Chromosomes ****
Why you will never get pregnant from an animal or cause an animal to get pregnant:
Organisms are very specific in their genetic encoding. An excess or lack of chromosomes will in many cases prevent an organism from surviving, or if so, with severe defects. Down’s syndrome, for example, occurs because each cell merely carries an extra copy of the twenty first chromosome. If chromosomes aren’t paired up properly in gametes, a zygote will NOT form. The only exception is in extremely closely related species, such as horses and donkeys.
Even when a successful mating occurs between closely related species, the offspring are going to be sterile because of a mis-match of chromosomes during cell meiosis when the organism forms gametes.
