What do you think of hybrids?

Amadeus · 06-25-13, 02:09 PM

What are your thoughts or opinions on the recent python hybrids like the "burmball" or the "bateater"

Imo they shouldn't continue to be bred...

Go

Edit: This should be in the python forum but oh well.

pdomensis · 06-25-13, 02:55 PM

Not my cup of tea, but then neither are labradoodles. If someone wants a designer animal I say whatever. Maybe they need their own category, like faux-snake.

Mikoh4792 · 06-25-13, 03:09 PM

I personally don't mind as long as those hybrid genes don't get mixed up into the general population. I'd put some regulations on that king of thing.

**Aaron_S** · 06-25-13, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikoh4792

I personally don't mind as long as those hybrid genes don't get mixed up into the general population. I'd put some regulations on that king of thing.

We can't regulate any part of our hobby, even the more dangerous venomous part and you think we could do hybrids? hahahahaha.

Bateaters aren't new but the albino burmball is new.

Neat looking but they all suck.

formica · 06-25-13, 03:13 PM

hybrids exist in nature, they are part of the evolution of species, saying they shouldnt exist is bizare.

You also wouldnt have for eg, the beef in your burgers, or the milk in your coffee, or the wheat in your cereal, or...well you get the picture...if it wasnt for hybrids, selective cross breeding between species and sub species

I find the whole thing fascinating personally.

As for 'letting them out into the general population' - yes, but this should apply to any capitive breed species, cross bred or not, and espcially into countries where they are not native

Starbuck · 06-25-13, 03:14 PM

i think if you dont like them, dont buy them. If you REALLY REALLY REALLY hate them, and think its some kind of moral sin to produce them, dont buy from someone who produces them.

I dont agree with hybridizing endangered/under-represented animals in the hobby (such as boleans pythons), because i think their reproductive efforts should be better spent on advancing the captive population as a whole. however, this becomes a gray area in some cases, such as peregrine falcons. Many distinct subspecies were interbred in the 80s and 90s in a frantic effort to repopulate the US, and we lost a lot of the diversity of the birds. I could see this becoming an issue with locality morphs/subspecies at some point, but just an interesting observation.

Personally, i think there are a lot of really beautiful colubrid hybrids out there, and since most of my snakes are pets, and i keep them because i think they are beautiful and interesting, I WOULD be likely to buy a hybrid that i considered beautiful and interesting.
the end.

formica · 06-25-13, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amadeus

Imo they shouldn't continue to be bred...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaron_S

Neat looking but they all suck.

can you qualify this a bit? would like to understand what the problem is from your perspective - as I said, to me its fascinating, both aesthetically and from a natural sciences perspective

Mikoh4792 · 06-25-13, 03:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaron_S

We can't regulate any part of our hobby, even the more dangerous venomous part and you think we could do hybrids? hahahahaha.

What do you mean by this? How does regulation not work for venomous reptiles?(Serious question)

**Aaron_S** · 06-25-13, 03:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by formica

hybrids exist in nature, they are part of the evolution of species, saying they shouldnt exist is bizare.

You also wouldnt have for eg, the beef in your burgers, or the milk in your coffee, or the wheat in your cereal, or...well you get the picture...if it wasnt for hybrids, selective cross breeding between species and sub species

I find the whole thing fascinating personally.

As for 'letting them out into the general population' - yes, but this should apply to any capitive breed species, cross bred or not, and espcially into countries where they are not native

Hybrids don't really exist in the wild. Natural intergrades do though. We have imaginary lines that animals don't know about and cross them on a regular basis. If it's caught in one such imaginary boundary than it's labeled as that.

Hybrids that are an animal from Africa (ball python) and another from Australia (Woma python) are not natural and would never occur. I don't see how that is evolution when it never could happen.

**Aaron_S** · 06-25-13, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by formica

can you qualify this a bit? would like to understand what the problem is from your perspective - as I said, to me its fascinating, both aesthetically and from a natural sciences perspective

The problem is simple.

Best example is Australia.

Legally we can no longer import their animals. Such as jungle carpet pythons. We no longer have a gene pool, it's a gene puddle that's muddied by other animals like the "carpondro". For what purpose? For the sake of saying "I did it".

We will lose what nature gifted us for the sake of us being egotistical and wanting to play God.

**Aaron_S** · 06-25-13, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikoh4792

What do you mean by this? How does regulation not work for venomous reptiles?(Serious question)

Simple, there is no regulation or extremely little or relaxed. Florida has it but doesn't mean it's not abused or ignored.

I can go and buy a venomous snake right now if I wanted to. No one would stop me. It's only against a local by-law so as long as no one said anything I could keep it forever.

Mikoh4792 · 06-25-13, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaron_S

Hybrids don't really exist in the wild. Natural intergrades do though. We have imaginary lines that animals don't know about and cross them on a regular basis. If it's caught in one such imaginary boundary than it's labeled as that.

Hybrids that are an animal from Africa (ball python) and another from Australia (Woma python) are not natural and would never occur. I don't see how that is evolution when it never could happen.

It depends on what you consider natural. I find it natural that with our brain capacity we can choose to breed different types of animals together to create hybrids. Just because they don't do it on their own out in the wild doesn't make it unnatural.

Mikoh4792 · 06-25-13, 03:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaron_S

Simple, there is no regulation or extremely little or relaxed. Florida has it but doesn't mean it's not abused or ignored.

I can go and buy a venomous snake right now if I wanted to. No one would stop me. It's only against a local by-law so as long as no one said anything I could keep it forever.

ohhh I see.

pdomensis · 06-25-13, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by formica

can you qualify this a bit? would like to understand what the problem is from your perspective - as I said, to me its fascinating, both aesthetically and from a natural sciences perspective

The biggest problem in my opinion is when species of animals or plants are altered and then get released (usually accidentally) back into native populations. The result is outbreeding depression, reduced vigor, breeding ability and survivorship.

**Aaron_S** · 06-25-13, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdomensis

The biggest problem in my opinion is when species of animals or plants are altered and then get released (usually accidentally) back into native populations. The result is outbreeding depression, reduced vigor, breeding ability and survivorship.

We can look to "killer bees" for an example.