Eggsplosion

[blueberlin]

Re: eggsplosion

I can survive a bass.

And I'm glad that only a percentage of my fellow species are still apes..

Actually - I've been out of school for a long, long time - isn't "species" the finest classification on the biological hierarchy? The bottom of the divisionary line? But isn't a species defined by being capable of interbreeding and producing viable, fertile offspring? So where is the dividing line between, let's just say, an axolotl and a tiger salamander? Obviously they are different animals - but if they can reproduce and their young can reproduce with others of their ilk.. I assume we would then have yet a third "species"? (and a human gets to name it, hoorah)

What about the mule (everyone's favorite example of a crossbreed), it is certainly a new kind of animal but is not even fertile, so is it a new a new species?

I'm trying to understand the significance of the delineation in the hope of differentiating between evolution and bastardization.

 

[Terri9967]

Re: eggsplosion

I can survive a bass.

And I'm glad that only a percentage of my fellow species are still apes..

Actually - I've been out of school for a long, long time - isn't "species" the finest classification on the biological hierarchy? The bottom of the divisionary line? But isn't a species defined by being capable of interbreeding and producing viable, fertile offspring? So where is the dividing line between, let's just say, an axolotl and a tiger salamander? Obviously they are different animals - but if they can reproduce and their young can reproduce with others of their ilk.. I assume we would then have yet a third "species"? (and a human gets to name it, hoorah)

What about the mule (everyone's favorite example of a crossbreed), it is certainly a new kind of animal but is not even fertile, so is it a new a new species?

I'm trying to understand the significance of the delineation in the hope of differentiating between evolution and bastardization.

Eva, you never fail to amaze me with your "deep" thoughts. hehehehe and your choice of verbage is always, hmmmm lets say, top notch.

 

[featherbutt]

Re: eggsplosion

what about subspecies, race? tribe? cultivar? breed? strain?

division is more of an art than a science beyond species.

 

[blueberlin]

Re: eggsplosion

Oh. Subspecies. I forgot about that word. Not sure about the practicability of defining an Ambystoma tribe - but I suppose if they all list each other in their cell phones, we might get it recognized...

I consider the word "science" generally equatable with the word "art" in all of their respectively diverse nuances of meaning.

What I'm really wondering, though, Mitch, is if all of these careful considerations of yours will not, indeed, lead you one day to the oxbow with a few eggs and/or larvae and a notebook? :evil:

 

[featherbutt]

Re: eggsplosion

No, in the same sense that I do not commit arson and videotape myself.

People don't have mixed feelings when theres someone to blame.

But then you can still buy turtles here and nobody is in any trouble for the feral populations of sliders.

Still its about as kosher as nazi bacon.

 

[blueberlin]

Re: eggsplosion

Sorry, I had to ask. In addition to pets released by lazy owners, there are countless instances of animals intentionally released by well-meaning people and the animals get out of control - just offhand I remember the European starling in North America, rabbits in Australia, North American squirrels here in Germany.

When I had unwanted eggs, many people here even told me not to flush them as they have a change of hatching in the water system.