Frank, I have to say that this is THE best post I've ever read from you. BRAVO, BRAVO, BRAVO.



Although some of the words may not be originally yours, you carry them like an Olympic torch. I fully understand and comprehend what you said, especially this part:





"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."



Absolutely melodic and sensible....AND TRUE. My only gripe has been in the past of hybridization intentionally in captivity, like taking a Sinaloan and a corn snake. It just wouldnt happen out there in the real world Frank, BUT, to take a california king and a desert king (splendida), THAT I can see if one absolutely HAD to cross snakes in captivity....because it could happen "out there". Hope you see my point.



Again, incredible post that I appreciate. It actually brought a tear to my eye -- let me get the skirt. LOL. But seriously, that post really was incredible. Hope you can walk straight after what i wrote about it (swelled head), LOL.
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Jerry Kruse

www.zonatas.com





And God said, "Let there be zonata subspecies for all to ponder..."

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