Posted on 05/03/2005 2:12:35 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
I was not aware of this. Wikipedia disputes it.
Most are sterile. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tion
"Male ligers are sterile. Female ligers are often fertile and can be mated to a tiger resulting in ti-liger offspring or to a lion resulting in li-liger offspring."
Interesting
In layman's terms - yes. In strict scientific terms, its not the complete picture. Ring species and asexual organisms both blow huge holes in that simplistic definition.
I was just reading that.
What a curious combination of cat-like critters! (After the fist two, I just had to... I'm sorry. I really am!)
Why should they be consistant? It's THEIR rules.
So can a great dane / chihuahua mix survive? If not, then they are separate species by your definition.
"So scientists cant define what a species is, yet claim speciation occurs. Fascinating."
They also claim to have categorised most of life on Earth into species. Facinating.
This must have been tried surely. If only for a laugh
There are differences in how we classify non-sexually reproducing organisms.
Obviously we can't talk about the ability to interbreed (although there are some fascinating facts in this area)
We can, clearly, say that if two populations of sexually reproducing organisms cannot breed in nature, they are different species.
It's not making it overly complex. We are talking about speciation, and claiming that the ability to interbreed is the criteria for speciation is false and undermines your argument.
This is a very important point and if it is pushed as fact, creationists will beat you over the head with it because it makes their case better and undermines evolution.
"So can a great dane / chihuahua mix survive?"
Actually, yes, they can.
If you let dogs roam the planet as they may, in a matter of years we would haev "true dog" again. And again, in a matterof years, one could breed them by their atributes/abilities to fit the needs of their area.
Yorkshire terriers and poodles did not roam the earth as wild animals. They were bred into existance by a guiding hand. A hand with foresight and intellegence.
The topic is relevant too
"Actually, yes, they can.
If you let dogs roam the planet as they may, in a matter of years we would haev "true dog" again."
Sorry I can't bear but ask...
have you proven this in the lab
A "species" is just an arbitrary grouping of similar organisms. The point is that there is no "magic boundary" to seperate populations into species.
This fact doesn't undermine evolution but instead strengthens it as it demonstrates that the creationist argument that "one kind cannot become another kind" is a moot point since there really is no such thing as a "kind".
Don't need to, ask a vet. (the pet kind) They see cross breeds and mutts all the time.
Or better yet, my neighbors with the husky/wolf dog.
I meant the bit about all dog breeds turning into the one true dog again.
I think what would happen is all the aesthetic dogs created to look nice would go extinct, and the more wolf-like ones would survive.
I think we have different presentation styles and that's fine with me.
I think if you review my statement you will agree that it is technically correct, although limited.
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