Hi Jody,

Sure, I call them asians, blacks, etc...but they are all Homo sapiens.... based on osteological morphology, which is a genetic trait passed on = they are the same in this way; their guts are the same, arranged the same (but there is a malady where the organs can be reversed!) etc...

The branches can be varying as we all know and accept - but I attribute this to environment, and not necessarily genetic trait or related to it. All of these variety merely allow the species advantges to their environment, with the better equiped to succeed and breed, while the lesser so animals do not = nature. There is great variety in a single clutch, in a regional locality, and in a regional climatic zone of Africa, or wherever you choose to look. But when you examine them in detail, count scales, photograph hundreds of animals, a picture begins to emerge. With most wild varanids, we are in our infancy of understanding them, and I am trying to present the basic data about them: Where do they live? What climate do they live in? How many are there (in Africa)? and their reproductive biology. I am working on all of them simutaneously, partially published some of these topics at hand, working on others, and always collecting information about them in many ways...like I always do....and for which you have helped me = Thank you!

I draw the line of species level for V. albigularis at the bone structure, and others do not....the argument of genetic vrs environment has been a 'bone' of contention since the Gene theory came to evolve and grow (like Gregor Mendels pea plants did!), which prevails, which influences an organism more? It is a tough question, and hard answers....if you look at identical twins, both are identical genetically identical and live in same habitat (home), while 1 goes to university and the other becomes a whoring heroin addict...why? How did that happen? Was it genetics or environment? One would conclude environment was the factor....and this is how we see differences in individuals too, V. albigularis included. They learn, they process new information and apply what they can to do and what their instinct dictates....hence we see variety in them too; Behavior is merely a reflection on their enviroment, so does genetic or environment guide their behavior? Both do. This can be seen differently in animals from different localities - but do these differences in scalation, size, behavior make it a full species? Does it make it a subspecies? If it does, then we need to address that (blasted) question too: What is a subspecies? And that is as hard as deciding what is a species!?

The ICZN makes these decisions, and the rules for applying them; they may not be perfect rules, but they are what we have to work with....and we have to start somewhere when we want to answer a question like, "What is that?" - and that can be a damn hard question sometimes!

Cheers Jody,
markb

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