that's pretty interesting but not very shocking. i always suspected that japanese rat snakes could breed with american rats because they look and act so similarly.

i would be really shocked if someone crossed any of the beauty snakes with an american rat snake. i've tried it but never even saw an attempt to copulate.(corn x cave dweller)

i never really understood all that. how can they ever agree on the species name if they can't even define what a species is?

this might not be the place to ask, but does anybody have a clear cut answer to how "they" draw the line between two species?

"There are many definitions of what kind of unit a species is (or should be). A common definition is that of a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring, and separated from other such groups with which interbreeding does not (normally) happen. Other definitions may focus on similarity of DNA or morphology. Some species are further subdivided into subspecies, and here also there is no close agreement on the criteria to be used." - wiki

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