richard@gryphon.COM (Richard Sexton) (02/04/90)
In article <202@53iss6.Waterloo.NCR.COM> howard@53iss6.Waterloo.NCR.COM (Howard Steel) writes: >In article <22448@siemens.siemens.com> samaddar@demon.UUCP (Sumitro Samaddar) >writes: > >>Are all dogs in the same species? > >NO. The main problem is usually physical disparity. When's the last time you >saw a St. Bernard - Chihuahua cross? Ok, DO TELL US what the different ``dog species'' are. Don't forget the George Basars.
andrea@hp-sdd.hp.com (Andrea K. Frankel) (02/07/90)
In article <25520@gryphon.COM> richard@gryphon.COM (Richard Sexton) writes: >In article <202@53iss6.Waterloo.NCR.COM> howard@53iss6.Waterloo.NCR.COM (Howard Steel) writes: >>In article <22448@siemens.siemens.com> samaddar@demon.UUCP (Sumitro Samaddar) >>writes: >> >>>Are all dogs in the same species? >> >>NO. The main problem is usually physical disparity. When's the last time you >>saw a St. Bernard - Chihuahua cross? Sorry, but "species" is biologically defined (check your high school or college biology books). Dogs are all in one species because their offspring are fertile. Physical difficulties notwithstanding - if you (ahem) gathered sperm from a St. Bernard and artificially inseminated a Chihuahua in heat, you would get offspring which were themselves fertile. Andrea Frankel, Hewlett-Packard (San Diego Division) (619) 592-4664 "wake now! Discover that you are the song that the morning brings..." ______________________________________________________________________________ UUCP : {hplabs|nosc|hpfcla|ucsd}!hp-sdd!andrea Internet : andrea@sdd.hp.com (or andrea%hp-sdd@nosc.mil or @ucsd.edu) CSNET : andrea%hp-sdd@hplabs.csnet USnail : 16399 W. Bernardo Drive, San Diego CA 92127-1899 USA
DCS100@psuvm.psu.edu (Dave Schweisguth) (02/07/90)
In article <3251@hp-sdd.hp.com>, andrea@hp-sdd.hp.com (Andrea K. Frankel) says: [much recursive net.litter deleted] >Dogs are all in one species because their offspring are fertile. >Physical difficulties notwithstanding - if you (ahem) gathered sperm >from a St. Bernard and artificially inseminated a Chihuahua in heat, >you would get offspring which were themselves fertile. In fact, the majority of turkeys raised in the U.S. are incapable of natural mating due to the high body weight for which they are intentionally selected. Reproduction takes place by artificial insemination with fresh semen. [Frozen doesn't work ... but that's another story.] If physical inability to mate is a criterion for speciation, the turkey farmers of America create, miscgenate, and exterminate hundreds of millions of different species a year! Neat, eh? I apologize for any relevance this may have lost to rec.pets people, but I'll leave it to followers-up to edit the groups line. _____________________________________________________________________________ / \ | Dave Schweisguth Home: 814-862-0806 dcs100@psuvm.psu.edu | | 406 Althouse Laboratory Work: 814-863-2791 America Online: Von Mordo | | University Park, PA 16802 FAX: 814-865-2413 GEnie: D.SCHWEISGUT | | | | "When choosing between two evils, I always like to take the one I've never | | tried before." -- Mae West | \_____________________________________________________________________________/
debbie@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Debbie Forest) (02/07/90)
In article <3251@hp-sdd.hp.com> andrea@hp-sdd.UUCP (Andrea K. Frankel) writes: > >Physical difficulties notwithstanding - if you (ahem) gathered sperm >from a St. Bernard and artificially inseminated a Chihuahua in heat, >you would get offspring which were themselves fertile. well, no, you'd probably actually get an exploding chihuahua, but... :-) yes, all dogs are the same species. but why then aren't wolves in the species too, since dogs and wolves can cross-breed?
ggw@wolves.uucp (Gregory G. Woodbury) (02/09/90)
In article <2285@uwm.edu> debbie@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Debbie Forest) writes: >In article <3251@hp-sdd.hp.com> andrea@hp-sdd.UUCP (Andrea K. Frankel) writes: >> >>Physical difficulties notwithstanding - if you (ahem) gathered sperm >>from a St. Bernard and artificially inseminated a Chihuahua in heat, >>you would get offspring which were themselves fertile. > >yes, all dogs are the same species. but why then aren't wolves in the >species too, since dogs and wolves can cross-breed? The simple case of cross-fertilization (with or without fertile offspring) is not sufficient to define a species. The other half of species definition is the ecological niche the new species occupies in comparison to the parent group. When an adaptive shift occurs which allows the offspring to occupy a niche which tends to isolate the new group from the old further adaptations in the new group can accelerate the isolation of the new species. Wolves and Dogs (canis lupus vs canis familiaris) occupy different niches in general, but not so different that contact is eliminated. Some purists would like to say that lupus and familiaris are "sub-species", but general usage has its effect as well. ------------- Just some additional fuel for the discussion to justify being in sci.bio ;-) -- Gregory G. Woodbury Sysop/owner Wolves Den UNIX BBS, Durham NC UUCP: ...dukcds!wolves!ggw ...dukeac!wolves!ggw [use the maps!] Domain: ggw@cds.duke.edu ggw@ac.duke.edu ggw%wolves@ac.duke.edu Phone: +1 919 493 1998 (Home) +1 919 684 6126 (Work) [The line eater is a boojum snark! ] <standard disclaimers apply>