[metmom]

You (amd) wrote: "they are ABSOLUTELY not the same species by the ‘hardest’ criteria of species — not being able to reproduce together."

Well, then, I guess someone needs to redefine the species of tigers and lions, and horses and donkeys.

They can interbreed and I don't doubt that there are other examples in nature.

[allmendream]

Do I need to explain it to you again?

Not being able to reproduce at all would be the hardest criteria. (no offspring like our fruit flies)

Not being able to reproduce only infertile offspring would be less so. (a sterile mule like horses and donkeys)

Being noticeably different in morphology and habit and DNA and being only theoretically able to reproduce semifertile offspring if put in a cage together. (lions and tigers)

Being noticeably different in morphology and habit and DNA and only occasionally reproducing together in the wild (wolves and coyotes).

Different “ecotypes” of the same species that do interbreed but are somewhat noticeably different in DNA behavior and morphology (many birds).

Words do not define reality. But when someone says there hasn't been an observed speciation event they are wrong.

Now do you think every modern species fit on the Ark - or was there speciation from those primordial “kinds” that could? And how are you going to explain their differentiation if not by utilizing natural selection of genetic variation?