Post by Quickstride on Jun 30, 2006 17:32:21 GMT -5
Intergeneric hybrid characters pop up every now and then, and have been a source of controversy between their creators and people who feel that such hybrids detract from the "realness" that Dinotopia's scientific accuracy brings. But are some hybrids really such a big deal?
When discussing hybrids, the mule often enters the discussion- it's the most commonly known hybrid, and its infertility is viewed as the barrier that prevents species from dissolving into one another. If two members of the same genus (Equus) can barely produce viable offspring, there doesn't seem to be much hope for crosses between genera. But it is important to realize that classification systems exist primarily for our benefit- it's an attempt to make sense of the staggering complexity of the natural world. However, because nature is not bound to a strictly defined system of species and genera, there is a great degree of variation regarding how these species and genera interact with one another. Thus, while the mule is sterile, Panthera crosses produce fertile females, and different members of the Canis species can interbreed freely to produce fertile offspring (although other factors are present, many people are familiar with the rule that chromosome numbers must match for offspring to be fertile, and chromosome counts can vary greatly. They are different among the Equus species but the same in Canis.)
Anyway, what many people don't realize is that intergeneric hybrids are also recognized among mammals, birds and reptiles. "Beefalo," perhaps the best known, are a cross between domestic cattle (Bos) and buffalo (Bison.) A wolphin is the product of a bottle-nosed dolphin (Tursiops) and a false killer whale (Pseudorca). A Cama calls the Dromedary camel (Camelus) and a llama (Lama) its parents, although this one had to be achieved through artificial insemination (apparently because of the size difference.) In addition, intergeneric hybrids among captive reptiles and birds are also known.
This being said, it seems plausible that at least some intergeneric hybrids could occur in Dinotopia- in fact, given the close association many species have with one another on the island that they would have never had in the "real world," it seems likely that interspecific and intergeneric hybrids do occur sometimes. Without any way to tell genetically how closely related species or genera were, compatability among members of the same family (such as the dromaeosaurs, the most popular hybrids) is mostly a matter of personal preference- thus, Velociraptor and Deinonychus, so similar that a few paleontologists once considered them the same genus (although I think studies of the skull have convinced most that they are seperate) doesn't seem that big of a deal. Crossings of these smaller raptors with Utahraptor, whose exact affinities within the family are unknown, may be stretching it, but in a world where seemingly all of the dinosaur species have become sapient and all somehow came together on an island that somehow manages to support them all, I think it can be allowed some leniency. Anyway, in closing, intergeneric hybrids are not completely impossible.
When discussing hybrids, the mule often enters the discussion- it's the most commonly known hybrid, and its infertility is viewed as the barrier that prevents species from dissolving into one another. If two members of the same genus (Equus) can barely produce viable offspring, there doesn't seem to be much hope for crosses between genera. But it is important to realize that classification systems exist primarily for our benefit- it's an attempt to make sense of the staggering complexity of the natural world. However, because nature is not bound to a strictly defined system of species and genera, there is a great degree of variation regarding how these species and genera interact with one another. Thus, while the mule is sterile, Panthera crosses produce fertile females, and different members of the Canis species can interbreed freely to produce fertile offspring (although other factors are present, many people are familiar with the rule that chromosome numbers must match for offspring to be fertile, and chromosome counts can vary greatly. They are different among the Equus species but the same in Canis.)
Anyway, what many people don't realize is that intergeneric hybrids are also recognized among mammals, birds and reptiles. "Beefalo," perhaps the best known, are a cross between domestic cattle (Bos) and buffalo (Bison.) A wolphin is the product of a bottle-nosed dolphin (Tursiops) and a false killer whale (Pseudorca). A Cama calls the Dromedary camel (Camelus) and a llama (Lama) its parents, although this one had to be achieved through artificial insemination (apparently because of the size difference.) In addition, intergeneric hybrids among captive reptiles and birds are also known.
This being said, it seems plausible that at least some intergeneric hybrids could occur in Dinotopia- in fact, given the close association many species have with one another on the island that they would have never had in the "real world," it seems likely that interspecific and intergeneric hybrids do occur sometimes. Without any way to tell genetically how closely related species or genera were, compatability among members of the same family (such as the dromaeosaurs, the most popular hybrids) is mostly a matter of personal preference- thus, Velociraptor and Deinonychus, so similar that a few paleontologists once considered them the same genus (although I think studies of the skull have convinced most that they are seperate) doesn't seem that big of a deal. Crossings of these smaller raptors with Utahraptor, whose exact affinities within the family are unknown, may be stretching it, but in a world where seemingly all of the dinosaur species have become sapient and all somehow came together on an island that somehow manages to support them all, I think it can be allowed some leniency. Anyway, in closing, intergeneric hybrids are not completely impossible.
Usually between some storywriters and some scientist wannabe's like myself. 
