Hi Jerry, Last year there was an article in Western Naturalist, i believe.(I can check and find out) On a canebrake/atrox hybrid.



There were several things in that articule that was interesting. one it stated it had to use SCALE structure to verify it was a hybrid, as Dna did not work. I believe you need the actual parents(their DNA) to prove a relationship with DNA.



And they made the speculation that the neutralization of habitats, such as farmland, made it of no advantage for different species.



They also listed many many other natural occurring hybrids.



On the otherhand, while neutralized habitats may have some effect. Hybrids DO occur in natural habitat. The animals I have seen here are in undisturbed habitat.



With that said, habitat is ever changing particularly marginal habitat. Snake populations expand and contract with conditions. Often leaving animals in inappropriate habitat. At least for a short time, even years/decades etc. That is common in areas like the western U.S. Which is reason we have so many species.



An example is, here in arizona, we have aprox 14 rattlesnake species. Many overlap, many are found in the exact same habitat, doing similar things. An example is Mohaves and diamondbacks. Mohaves are pure, in grasslands, in true grasslands, mohaves are dominate and diamondbacks are absent. In true desert, diamondbacks are dominate and mohaves are absent. But in many areas where grasslands are evolving into desert. We see long periods of back and forth. This also involves elevation, normally grasslands are higher in elevation then deserts(drier). In dry periods(we are in one) deserts move up in elevation, in wet years, grasslands move down in elevation. Here these animals fluctuate back and forth.



It would be easy to see that species will become behaviorally confused.



Snakes react to pheromones, this predicts what they do. Pheromones are chemicals and can easily drift in a very short period. The stresses of behavioral and enviornmental changes can and SHOULD effect this. "to evolve"



Over millions of years, hybrids like a drop of oil in the ocean, its will have no effect and hybrids will be absorbed back into the prevailing species. But if there is longterm climate changes, that result in habitat changes, then its possible hybrids are take hold and become the normal species for that area and that time and into the future.



It was explained to me this way. An ethlogist said, species, subspecies, it does not matter, all of these animals were something moving(evolving) to be something else. What they are now is like stopping a river and saying, this is what the river is. When we all know the river is flowing and changing.



Its important to biologist to name and study a species, its important to ethlogist to study behaviors to tell what a species was and what its going to become.



The problem is the readers of information, they take things as static that are not static. People believe hybrids are not suppose to occur, we were taught that. We were also taught all species evolve. What they forgot was, to evolve also includes to hybridize. To actually see animals evolve is a wonder and a gift.



The problem here is, many do not want it to happen so they say it does not happen. Well it does, and as we look deeper and BETTER abilities to SEE, we are realizing that. We still do not have to like it, but to DISMISS it is another thing.



The odd behavior seen here and with newbie type biologists is, I like this, so I hate that. We are allowed to like whatever blows our shorts up. But why all the hate? Consider, folks say, pure(in nature) this and that, and hybrids are a part of nature, a key and interesting part of nature.



Consider, to understand an animal, its the little odd things that makes the normal interesting. Cheers

[ Show Entire Thread ]