Colubrid vs. Boid: The Hybrid Debate

[KrokadilyanGuy3]

Possibly when Sibley mentioned two different species he was claiming something like Elaphe guttata X Pituophis catenifer affinis. Which are two different species even if they dont belong to the same Genus... Or unless Elaphe emoryi and E. guttata are no longer a species of their own ( I know the whole Genus changed to something else but cant remember the name and whatknot) then the Elaphe guttata X Elaphe emoryi are two species and a hybrid. Surrporting Sibley's statement on "Hybrids are the offspring of parents of two different species."

If E. emoryi and E. guttata are no longer their own species, even in the new Genus, this surrports the "since noone tends to agree on what constitutes a species ( Species change, ssp. change ) Making a former hybrid possibly a hybrid no longer, or into a different hybrid mixture." statement.

Either way, people have their things. I prefer to keep mine "Pure"

[Bryce Masuk]

True but mostly newbie carpet owner's buy crosses because they want them as pets few are buying crosses to breed them and with carpet's it usually isnt hard to pick out crosses either The people I am talking about that dont except them are carpet breeders they wont even look at crosses

Name who is inbreeding for color if your so sure of it? inbreeding is a fast track to what you want. you have to kill many of the offspring in every clutch for a long time and you still end up with problems (look at albino boa's) dont waste your time with inbreeders I dont

[Jeff_Favelle]

ColonelSB, I have to disagree:

Looks at the B.c.i & B.c. complex how huch inbreeding and cross breeding has gone on in the last decade. Once the genetic waters are dirty they can never been clean again! No matter how much outcrossing you do!

Inbreeding has abolutely NOTHING to do with genetic water being "muddied" or outcrossed. In fact, if you want to keep an animal the most pure, inbreeding is your only option. I just want to make sure you are not thowing terms out there just to prove a point. Inbreeding keeps all the alleles and their frequencies in check. Whether that's a good/bad thing is another argument. But inbreeding DOES NOT, I repeat, DOES NOT dirty genetic "water".

[Jeff Hathaway]

Bryce,

The problem with defining things in biology is that there are always exceptions. It is now apparent that some things which are considered separate species, and even from different genera, can produce offspring which are, in fact, fertile.

Jeff Hathaway
Sciensational Sssnakes!!

[Bryce Masuk]

I understand that Jeff They should stop trying to make things lock tight in biology because nature isnt lock tight