VIPER & VINE EXOTIC ANIMAL KEEPERS FORUM

miffikins · Joined: 17 Apr 2007 Posts: 2 Location: Manchester/Swansea

Yay! I'm the first to post in this section! I'm curious about a thought I had today, can you interbreed red ackies with yellow ackies?? Am I right in understanding that they are both subspecies of the same species?
_________________
1:2:2(eggies) Leopard Gecko's
1:0 Emerald Swift
1:0 Yellow Ackie
1:0:1 African Clawed Frogs
0:3 Pussy cats
1:0 Gigantic goldfish
Lots of tropical fishies

piedpythons · Joined: 16 Jun 2007 Posts: 2 Location: Cumbria

Yes, red & yellow ackies are both subspecies.

The red ackie goes by the latin name of Varanus acanthurus acanthurus and the yellow ackie goes by the latin name of Varanus acanthurus brachyurus.

I would imagine they would hybridise, although I really dont know why people would want to cross species?

Yes, originally these two speices would have been one and the same, but they have evolved and diversified over hundreds of years to become two distinct species. Naturally two species, and subspecies would not interbreed, so why force them to in captivity.

Burmese pythons & reticulated pythons were cross bred, but when this occurs the fertility of the young is very low, basically because the genes do not match. This is natures way of keeping things as they should be.

I love morphs, into royal morphs in a big way; but it does beg the question - 'where does it all stop'?

Humans have 'control' of the colour and patterns of these fantastic animals, constantly striving to change them. But in reality it just sets a president for things to spiral horribly out of control.

Royals have already been hybridised with blood pythons, angolan pythons, womas...perhaps the whole genetic thing is become a little to serious and potentially dangerous.

Just my opinion...
_________________
www.piedpythons.co.uk
mail@piedpythons.co.uk

Investment Reptiles

---------------------------------------
Lots of royals - this signature is too short to let me type all out. Grrr.